Origami Music
by Madyamisam
Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends... Strange how an accident could change all everything. MokubaJoey brotherly only SetoJoey
1. Part 1

Origami Music

Disclaimer: Yugioh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and the song "Hello" belongs to Evanescence...

Pairing(s): Mokuba/Joey (but not in that kind of relationship) Seto. /Joey...

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends... funny how an accident could make everything change...

Sam: (still swearing about taking off her precious fics)

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_MOKUBA! _

Echoes of the screeching tyres were the last thing that he saw and the last thing that he heard as he gazed listlessly at the limp hand poking out from underneath the vehicle and the trail of blood that trickled ever so slowly towards him. Specks of red was scattered across his face as he got down to his hands and knees and like a child he reached out gingerly to stroke the hand. It was still warm and slowly he wrapped his fingers around it in the hopes to keep it that way. He ignored the screams and the cries, the fear and the pity for the turmoil out there couldn't compare to the emptiness inside and he fell ever deeper into the darkness of his mind as he slowly realised that his family, his only family was gone.

------ 1 hour ago ------

Seto Kaiba caught sight of his rival and his friends chatting away about the most mundane of topics with vigour and happiness. The annoying blonde in particular started cackling loudly, in that irritating voice that irked him so much, about some idiotic joke that was made possibly about him. It wasn't that Kaiba cared about the trivialities of pointless behind-the-back insults but he hated cowardice and it was obvious that Joey Wheeler was a coward in his eyes. For, despite causing much dislike by the group of fools, at least he was able to make such comments face to face and even in front of the blonde's friends. It was a wonder that he liked insulting him and also in some strange twisted way, he felt almost a sort of affection towards the Joey than most. Of course, Yugi being his all time rival was always his main concern but that was business, just like pretty much everything else in his life. No, Joey was different. Irritating though it was, Joey was some sort of relief. He enabled him to be a teenager albeit an unpleasant one but a teenager nonetheless even for just one moment.

He was supposed to have a meeting at Kaiba Corp soon but couldn't resist his daily fix of insults towards the blonde before he went on his way. It was strange however that he found a new member among the friends. She was probably a little younger with the potential of beauty when she came of age but Kaiba didn't really bother on further speculation. He did somehow recognise her from somewhere and Kaiba felt his stomach hitch slightly as the red head wrapped her arms around the third rate duellist. Kaiba was inclined to raise an incredulous eyebrow that Wheeler would go for a little girl that was probably still only in middle school. In fact he would have figured someone like that other blonde, Mai perhaps was more to his taste.

"SETO!" he heard the familiar voice of his little brother cry out. He felt the child run into him with the energy of a steam train. Luckily, his own self discipline and training was more than enough to sustain him from being toppled over by the raven headed eleven-year-old. He smirked as the child who recently entered his first year in middle school had already started acing the tests the idiots of education tried to throw at him. Kaiba smiled proudly when he caught a glance of the A sticking out of Mokuba's backpack. "Hey isn't that Serenity? Joey's sister?" the child asked. 'So that's who she was' Kaiba realised never recalling that Joey had ever mentioned having a sister to him... or perhaps he just didn't pay attention to that detail. Mokuba's cherub face twisted to a joyful smile. "It is... HEY SERENITY!" he yelled running across the road. The group of friends looked in his direction in surprise. Kaiba gasped just as the car began ploughing down the road.

"MOKUBA!" they all screamed. It all seemed to happen so quickly that even Kaiba was at a daze. A screech of the car and a sickening crack of bone and glass scattered across the floor and blood splattered against the pavement and even at a few of the bystanders. It took a moment to register when a voice broke through his thoughts.

"Big brother" Mokuba whimpered weakly and in tears. Kaiba hearing his voice ran to the boy who was shaking with a few scratches but otherwise unharmed. "She... she pushed me" he wept as tears fell freely down his cherubic face. Kaiba looked up as the chaos began to make sense in his mind. He caught sight of the red hair sprawled against the tarmac but then he turned to gaze at the dead girl's brother who was on his hands and knees reaching out towards her.

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_Playground school bell rings, again. Rain clouds come to play; again _He could barely hear the distant sounds of the wailing blue lights and the crying of his friends above the song in his mind. _Has no one told you she's not breathing? Hello, I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to...Hello..._ He didn't realise the people around him were crying from shock and grief or the hands that embraced him whilst he cradled the cooling hand in his lap and stroking tenderly. _If I smile and don't believe. Soon I know I'll wake from this dream _He barely acknowledged the authority as they vainly tried to heave the scraps of metal debris without further mutilating the body. _Don't try to fix me I'm not broken. Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide..._

_   
Don't cry..._

'Don't cry' Jou repeated and obeyed. Just then he felt the hand slip away from him. He didn't want to let it go. He held on tightly.

"I'm sorry for happened son... but please... let go..." said one of the paramedics. He shook briefly as his grip began to loosen and he stared unblinking at the red hair disappear underneath a black blanket. _Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping. Hello, I'm still here _The door slammed and they drove away leaving the blonde staring after them and then at a bloodied paper origami crane in his hand that his sister had given to him moments before she ran onto the road.

_All that's left of yesterday..._

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Sam: Well that's the first chapter I hope you like it...


	2. Part 2

Origami Music

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

Sam: Come on now people. I've only recently had to get over a traumatic experience of one of my precious ficswith my precious reviewstaken off this site and week being frozen. I need some therapy resembling reviews on this... TT

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It seemed almost like instinct when Kaiba came into the room and saw that his brother had started crying again. It had happened a lot lately to the extent that he was forced to take Mokuba to see a specialist. In such kind of circumstances Kaiba was helpless and he hated it. With each passing day the market dropped because he was too busy worrying over his brother to concentrate on his company.

"Mokuba..." he said. His little brother shook quickly wiping away the tears from his eyes and replacing it with a small smile.

"Sorry..." Mokuba whispered as he rubbed at his eyes to will away the tears. Kaiba recalled his meeting with the Mokuba's psychiatrist in the hopes that he could find some sort of answer, a cure for the illness that was making his brother shed tears like he did.

It'll be difficult but it's the only way for your brother to come to terms of what's happened, he has to confront them in some way the psychiatrist had said to him. Kaiba clenched his hands, he would prefer if Mokuba would forget what happened or if he could erase that period of time however like the psychiatrist had said it was the only way to help him.

"Come on kiddo..." Kaiba whispered gently. "Why don't we go out for a bit?"

"I don't want to..." Mokuba whimpered in his bed. Kaiba hated having to push the kid to do things he didn't want to do but he knew it was for the best.

"Please Mokuba" he pleaded much to surprise to his brother. Mokuba sighed as he got out of the bed and cleaned himself up. He still looked weary, with bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. Since the incident weeks ago his grades had dropped like a stone and he every night Mokuba would have trouble sleeping. He would cry till exhaustion only to be plagued with nightmares that woke him up and the cycle would repeat itself until the morning. Kaiba would stand by him as his only means of comfort but every night he would despair as he helplessly watched his brother writhe, scream and sob and with all the power he had accumulated he couldn't help him.

---------

"Where are we going?" Mokuba asked absently. Kaiba smiled half in hope and half in assurance.

"The Domino Mental Institution" he replied. They had arrived shortly at the 'mad house' as laymen would term it and diligently followed the man in the white lab coat past many doors of people whispering their incoherent thoughts until they came to one particular door. The group of friends stood just before it. Kaiba noticed the familiar fools who were no longer joking and laughing like they did. In fact, in the past few weeks, though they hung out they rarely spoke to one another. Kaiba also noticed the cold glares he had been receiving from brunette but found that one member of the group was missing. It took him a few minutes of hacking into the systems one day to find out where Joey Wheeler had gone to thus leading him here. The group safe for the patient was stunned to see the two of them there... It was Tristan who decided to break the tense silence with more tension in his cold words.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he growled protectively over the door that held his friend behind it. Kaiba saw Joey through the window who was sitting on his heels, his hands resting on his lap in the corner of a white room. He was thinner, an empty shell of his former self that made Kaiba's insides squirm uneasily. He was dressed in a white smock marking him as one of the institute's residents. He's eyes held a blank stare whilst his hand delicately held the blood stained origami crane in his hand. Mokuba tugged gently at his brother's sleeve wanting to leave the vicinity but Kaiba stood his ground glaring at the friends who glared right back.

Téa tried to calm Tristan down whilst Yugi turned back to stare through the window that held his blonde friend inside. Another figure approached the door and this time the group held a little more respect towards her. Mrs Wheeler had just come in dressed in black. Her eyes were still wet from the tears that cried over her daughter's death before the doctor allowed her into the room. Kaiba watched through the one way glass window as the divorced woman approached her son. She had knelt down by the boy's side but Kaiba couldn't make out what she was saying but he noticed she visibly shook from sorrow and possibly rage. His thoughts were confirmed when the blonde was slapped across the face and the doctors immediately jumped into action. The door opened to screaming from the grieved woman.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER HER YOU GOO FOR NOTHING BRAT!" she shrieked much to the horror of Joey's friends as they pulled her back. Kaiba inwardly cringed at the visible red mark that was on his face but Joey neither flinched nor cried from the attack upon his being. He continued to just stare at the paper crane, the last remnant of his sister's gift to him. Although regulations disallowed so many visitors at once the doctors were too preoccupied with the screeching woman to bother pulling back the blonde' friends comforting him.

"It's not your fault Joey... no matter what she said... it really isn't" Yugi wept as he hugged the blonde in hopes of comforting him and the stinging pain of Mrs Wheeler's slap and accusations. However his words of comfort didn't seem to register in the blonde's mind.

"Yeah if it's anything it was Kaiba's fault for letting his brother run out on the road like that" Tristan muttered not caring if the Kaiba brothers were there or not. Kaiba felt the hand of his brother leave his side as the boy ran out of the room and back down where they came from. Kaiba growled before giving chase.

"Mokuba! MOKUBA!" he yelled after him catching up with him easily.

"It's my fault" Mokuba whimpered.

"No... it's-"

"YES IT IS SETO!" Mokuba sobbed wrenching his arm from Kaiba's grasps. The guilt had further eaten him up from the inside. Kaiba for once couldn't find anyway he could say that would ease the suffering.

"You and Serenity are friends right?" Kaiba asked. Mokuba nodded. "Then you'll know that you shouldn't let yourself waste away and let her sacrifice be in vain..." Mokuba looked at him through a film of tears. Kaiba stared intently. Mokuba hugged him hiccupping slightly. He gently stroked the soft raven tresses comfortingly before taking the boy's hand and slowly walking out of the institute. Kaiba cursed himself for allowing him to visit Joey with all his friends around. They wouldn't understand. They didn't have to live with the guilt Mokuba had. He smiled gripping the younger Kaiba's hand firmly and reassuringly though it was more for himself than for his brother.

"Joey!" he heard someone call. The Kaiba brothers turned to find that Joey had got out of his cell and walking towards them. He knelt down towards the younger of the two Kaiba brothers and for the first time in weeks he lifted his head up to stare at the boy whose tears had freely ran down his guilt stricken face. Kaiba made a move to shield the boy with his body in case Joey went to violently attack his brother but all the blonde simply did was delicately take the young boys hand and passed the piece of folded origami to him before getting up and returning back to his cell. Mokuba stared at the paper crane and the brown specks of dried up blood that had belonged to Serenity before looking at the blonde's back. Surprised and intrigued by the interaction the Kaiba brothers were asked if they could stay for a talk for a while.

-----

"I know you like it to the point Mr Kaiba. This has been the first positive reaction we've had ever since we received him here at the institute I think that it might be by you or to be precise your brother's influence on this visit" Kaiba glanced at his little brother who stared at the gift he had been given much like Joey had a while before. "The only other reaction we've had was when we tried to remove that paper crane from him and from that he attacked one of the assistants quite violently. Even with the presents of his friends Mr Kaiba. For him to give the crane away so willingly was unexpected and I do believe that your brother might be the key to help recover from the incident about his sister" Mokuba cringed at hearing this information before gripping the piece of paper gently hoping not to tear the delicate and withering wings. Kaiba stared at Mokuba briefly wondering what he would do.

"Will it... will it really help Joey?" Mokuba asked looking up at the man.

"I think so..." the psychiatrist replied. "And I also think that this might benefit you as well... so... what do you say Mokuba?" Mokuba went back to staring at the paper crane trying to contemplate what to do. Kaiba merely stared at his brother and ready to support the boy in everything way he could. Mokuba turned the paper crane around as if analysing its structure before taking out his locket opened it and delicately placing the crane alongside Kaiba's photograph. A single tear had escaped his eyes before he wiped it away. The last tear he would ever cry until Joey got better. He looked up determinedly at the psychiatrist.

"What time should I come tomorrow?"

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Seto: Why do I feel like I've been left out?

Sam: Cos you are ; P ... Kidding... you start off in the background then you get integrated into the foreground later...

Mokuba: I hate depression TT It sucks to be severely depressed.

Sam: AWWWW (hugs him)


	3. Part 3

Title: Origami Music

Chapter(s): 3/?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (brotherly only) Joey/Seto

Beta: Lola

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Imaginary by Evanescence.

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny

how an accident could make everything change…

Extra Note: There will be a time lapse between chapters because as

you should all know the healing process takes time.

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_/It's been two months since Mokuba agreed to the programme to help Wheeler to recover. I, myself only accompanied him once or twice just out of worry but I found that I usually just stood there either feeling bored or working on the company's budget. For what it's worth his grades in school had returned to his original standards. I could say I was proud that he had taken on what I had said to him that day but I could still see the guilt in his eyes whenever he thought he was alone… I knew there would be scars no matter what he did but…/_

Kaiba sighed as he stared at the flashing cursor; he pursed his lips hesitantly before backspacing the last sentence to begin afresh.

_/…alone. I wonder what goes through his mind a lot especially when I come home from work to find that he's not in the mansion but at the institute tending over him'. Sometimes he comes home later than I do, exhausted from the programme, usually feeling frustrated or irritable. I ask him what's wrong but he tells me he's too tired to talk about it and would go straight to bed. Of course, he'd come in smiling once or twice. Last month he told me he had talked to him for the first time that day... He had helped him on his math homework… I wanted to laugh at the idea that the mutt had that kind of capacity with arithmetic equations… but then… Mokuba hardly talked to me about what he did at school anymore… let alone show me his homework…/_

Kaiba swallowed as he read over his entry of the journal before typing a little more. /_Sometimes… I think... I feel that he…/ _Kaiba struggled, brushing his brown tresses stressfully unwilling to type out the thoughts that troubled him to something that may never be read by another anyway. He growled and glared at the screen to just type it for him before he saved it unfinished and switched it off just as his little brother came into the room, his backpack from school was still on his shoulders. Mokuba smiled at him, a rarity nowadays but nonetheless welcome in Kaiba's eyes.

"Hey…" Mokuba whispered.

"Hey…" Kaiba replied. That was about the only thing they said to each other nowadays too. Today however, it seemed Mokuba wanted to say something more but was reluctant to talk to his brother about it. Kaiba immediately seized the opportunity for a conversation rather than a quick hello/goodbye. "How's Wheeler?" he asked just before Mokuba turned around to go to his room. Mokuba turned back to him in surprise. It was unusual that Kaiba would be asking him about the blonde duellist but Mokuba was grateful that his brother cared, even if it was just a little about Joey's well being.

"He's doing great. Dr Gibson said if he keeps progressing like he is now. He maybe able to be admitted out of the institute and get to go home in the next two weeks" he replied with a smile, which was followed by an awkward silence. "Seto?" he finally said.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering… neither of Joey's parents has come to see him since two months ago when Mrs Wheeler you know… and Tristan… well he… he still feels kind of uncomfortable with me around the gang… even though the doctor said… I just…" Mokuba fidgeted muttering the last of it.

"Spit it out Mokuba" Kaiba said almost seething. Mokuba swallowed, took a deep breath.

"If anything happens… and if in case Joey doesn't have anywhere else to go… can, can he come stay here?"

Kaiba blinked hesitantly much to Mokuba's unease about the situation. He knew how much he didn't particularly like the blonde in their affairs let alone come to their house. It was a big request and Mokuba knew it but his unease was easily overridden by the need of redemption and the responsibility he felt he held over the blonde. He stared silently pleading for his brother despite knowing that Kaiba would do anything for him. Though he seemed as indifferent as he had always been, Kaiba trembled inside and nodded, his only reward was the overjoyed smile and the tight hug from his brother. Kaiba wrapped his arms around the boy and dreading the day that Joey Wheeler will be well enough to leave the institute.

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"Minus…" Mokuba looked up realising the blonde was staring at his finished math homework scattered on the cell floor.

"What?"

"You forgot… the minus…" Joey said pointing at one equation. Mokuba plucked at the sheet before looking over the question briefly.

"Oh yeah…" Mokuba chuckled before getting out a pen and correcting his mistake. "Since you pointed it out to me best check the rest too" Mokuba replied as he looked on the next few equations and evidently leaving Joey to his own devices. The blonde seemed to go back into his little world briefly before silently taking a sheet of plain paper that Mokuba had in his backpack.

Gibson stared at the interaction and noted with a smile that Joey was progressing again. He watched as the blonde began folding the paper, tearing then folding and reshaping the white sheet into a fluttering paper crane where the wings took flight when the tail was pulled.

"I think I've got everything right on that-"Mokuba stopped mid-sentence as he watched the blonde pulling the bird's tale and making it fly. "Oh Joey… wow, that's so cool" The blonde placed the finished origami and began working on another creation with a fresh sheet of paper. This time he had a larger audience as both Gibson and Mokuba watched him shape the paper into another bird. Mokuba excitedly took a sheet of his own and resided to copying the blonde but frowned in frustration when he his paper crane started turning into a crumpled mess. He growled to himself and prepared to screw the paper into a ball before a hand stopped him. Joey stared intently at the unfinished origami and gently folded the piece slowly in front of Mokuba's eyes and although it looked a little crumpled, the crane flapped weakly as Mokuba tugged gently on its tail. Joey resumed to making more cranes and eventually the session ended with the paper birds littered across the floor. There was a creek of the door.

"You've got more visitors Joey" Gibson stated as his friends entered. Yugi smiled to Mokuba before kneeling down next to the blonde whilst Tristan seemed to look indifferent to the boy's existence or not. "Well I'm glad to say that from tomorrow Joey will be able to go home"

"Really doc?" Tristan exclaimed with vigour. Dr Gibson nodded.

"Oh thank God…" Yugi whispered hugging Joey who was as still playing with his paper crane. "You're ok now Joey. We can go hang out at the arcade like we use to" Téa was too busy crying to talk about it.

"There is a slight condition…" the psychiatrist added. The three friends looked. "At the moment Joey is well enough to get out of the institute but to maintain his progress and hopefully helping him to move on; I strongly advise that Mokuba spend as much time with him as possible. He has after all contributed a lot to the rehabilitation." Mokuba stared up at the teenagers as if asking for absolution. Yugi and Téa smiled and nodded.

"Of course… what's past is past" Yugi said. "Besides, right now Joey seems to get better every day ever since you started looking after him Mokuba… That's all we all would want right?" Mokuba smiled from the acceptance from the older teen but noted the tense and clenched fists from the brunette next to him. Mokuba cringed slightly from the almost threatening gaze by Tristan and despite acceptance from Yugi and Téa the painful reminder of Serenity's death still lingered like a bitter after taste in his mouth.

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"YOU CLUMSLY LITTLE BASTARD! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" there was a loud painful thud as Joey felt the fists of his drunken father pound into his body as he tried to gather the few scattered possessions that hadn't been thrown out by the man. Mokuba gasped hearing the commotion even from the safe confines of his limo. He dashed up the stairs ignoring the stink of vomit and alcohol into the apartment. Shards of glass nearly gouged into his eyes as the bottle flew at the door. He saw the blonde's bleeding brow and ignoring the painful shards of glass imbedded in his own arms he flew his arm around the blonde.

"STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" He screamed up at the man whilst he shielded the teen with his body. There was a loud roar and Mokuba braced himself from getting hit when he was shoved to one side. There was a painful grunt as the man fell back and landed on his backside. Joey's father whimpered before curling into a ball from the pain. Mokuba blinked unsure of what had happened before Joey knelt by his side and gently took his scathed hand and examined the bits of glass that had imbedded inside. "H-hey… are you all right?" Mokuba whispered as Joey drew himself up and stumbled to a cupboard. He searched through the first aid kit and carefully plucked the shards of glass in the boy's arms before nursing them gently with a bandage.

Mokuba trembled as he tried to inspect the disfiguring gash just above the blonde's right brow. A thin trickle of blood had crawled down his face like a teardrop.

"Go home…" Joey whispered taking the boy by the hand and leading him downstairs outside the apartment. Overcoming his shock Mokuba pulled him by the arm before he went back inside.

"Come with me…" Mokuba said tugging at his arm. He bent down to gather Joey's possessions. "Look this is all your stuff right? Don't worry about clothes Big brothers got plenty… just… please don't stay here anymore Joey…" Mokuba sobbed quietly tugging at his arm. Joey glanced over the man passed out on the floor. His father had gone into a drunken rage as usual and Joey had accidentally tripped over spilling an expensive opened bottle of whisky on the floor. "Please…" Joey looked down at the eleven-year-old and wiped the single tears from the boy's eyes before they fell and reluctantly followed him into the limo. The driver looked a little stunned from the injuries both of them sustained and immediately went about to having the wounds bandaged up. "Drive us home" Mokuba ordered and the limo driver complied. Joey stared out the stained window and at the apartment that he used to call home. There was silence between the two like the many days that they shared during Joey's time in the institute. Mokuba glanced over at the blonde and the plaster over his brow smiled briefly.

"Master Kaiba it'll take a while to get to the mansion. There's large traffic congestion up ahead"

"That's ok" Mokuba replied delving into his bag and ripping out some paper. "Hey Joey, why don't we make some more paper cranes? I'm getting quite good at it…" Joey looked down at the paper handed to him blinked a few times before turning back out towards the window. Mokuba stared glumly and the folded up sheets of paper lay forgotten on the leather seat interior.

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Seto looked up from his computer as he heard his brother come in early from his trip to visit Joey's apartment. He had insisted in coming with Mokuba but the raven headed boy insisted that he stay because of Kaiba Corp's latest software problem. Seto cursed the company he ran as he forced himself to concentrate on the meaningless task. He had been in such a bad mood that day he had fired some of the workers, some of whom had been long term employees in his company since his foster father's days. He was surprised that his brother had in fact came home so soon but was shocked to see that he had company both nursing some pretty ghastly injuries. He glared at the blonde as Mokuba told Joey to make himself at home before Mokuba looked at his brother.

"Mokuba, what happened?" he stroking gently at the bandaged forearms.

"Oh… erm… we hit a bit of a snag with Mr Wheeler at the apartment. So I thought it was best if Joey stayed here… You said you'd allowed it" Seto frowned but nodded reluctantly before casting a scathing glance at the blonde who was staring at the marble borders of their mansion. "Great!" Mokuba said as he grabbed Joey's hand and led him upstairs. "Don't worry I'll handle it, I promise we won't be a bother Seto… Come on Joey I'll show you your room" Seto sighed staring at the two noting the large smile on his brother's face, a smile that he hadn't seen for a long time. He shivered slightly and wrapped his arms around himself as he stood alone on the mansion hallway.

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"Erm… it's the smallest room in the mansion but it also connects to mine. So if you needed anything you could just knock" Mokuba said as he removed the white dusty sheets from the bed and opened the window to let out the musty smell of the room.

Despite it being the smallest room it was certainly still a big one in Joey's standards where the entire one bedroom flat was only half its size. There was huge double poster bed, a chest of draws, a wardrobe and table with a desk lamp and chair. The walls were a simple white but it was bathed in orange from the setting sun outside through two large windows and a small sitting area jutting out like a balcony against the window. Joey sat down on the bed, which groaned from the lack of use. He opened the wardrobe to find that rather than clothes in its place was a large TV and a CD player underneath it.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable downstairs while I get the maids to sort out the dust in here?" Mokuba asked but Joey ignored him and started sorting through the small collection of CD's he managed to grab before leaving his apartment and placing one of them into the CD player. "Or not… you can stay here for a bit and get used to it if you like…" Mokuba said awkwardly. He stared at the blonde and sat down on his heels realising that despite everything he had never saw the blonde smile once. Then again he never cried once not even when he watched his sister die. The guilt shot through his heart like an arrow and he made a move to go get the anti-depression pills that the psychiatrist had prescribed him. Joey sat staring at the CD player before pressing the skip button a few times to find the song that he wanted.

_I linger in the doorway  
__Of alarm clock-screaming monsters calling my name  
__Let me stay  
__Where the wind will whisper to me  
__Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story  
_

_In my field of paper flowers__  
And candy clouds of lullaby  
__I lie inside myself for hours__  
And watch my purple sky fly over me_

Joey leaned against the window pane listening to the song. He didn't notice the cobalt eyes staring at him in the doorway or how the way they seemed to look at him with surprise. The orange light illuminating face half in shadow, half in light made him seem almost ethereal. Seto hadn't seen Joey for a while and seemed a little awestruck from the physical changes over the blonde. Now that he had proper look at the blonde he found he was a lot leaner than he used to be, almost to the point of sickly considering that Kaiba thought him as a little scrawny before the accident anyway. However, it made his cheeks more prominent and seemed to make him more sleek and graceful rather than cumbersome and clumsy. His hair was evidently longer and less wild, the long fringe that he used to have was grown out to the sides and exposing his forehead and further more his eyes. Soft ochre orbs graced with a long heavy lashes framing them. It was a few moments more before Seto realised that Joey was staring at him from his seated place.

_Don't say I'm out of touch  
__With this rampant chaos, your reality  
__I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge  
__The nightmare I built my own world to escape_

_In my field of paper flowers  
__And candy clouds of lullaby  
__I lie inside myself for hours  
__And watch my purple sky fly over me_

The long tresses ran past his neck and was draped over his shoulder whilst the exposed eyes looked wider than Seto had ever seen them before. He wondered why Joey didn't grow out his fringe in the past. He clenched a few fists at the puppy dog staring at him and gritted his teeth as the song in the room sang on from the CD.

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming  
__Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights  
__Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming  
__The Goddess of imaginary light_

_In my field of paper flowers  
__And candy clouds of lullaby  
__I lie inside myself for hours  
__And watch my purple sky fly over me_

Seto turned away from the blonde, his trench coat flaring out beneath him like it always did as he stormed away from the room that he now hated and loathed.

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Sam: Ah… the tension is mounting… I think that'll do for this chapter… Thank you all so much for the reviews… I just love your support on everything. (bows) thank you…


	4. Part 4

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 4/?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Lola

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in 'that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh or "Everybody's Fool". by Evanescence

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

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_Perfect by nature  
Icons of self indulgence  
Just what we all need  
More lies about a world that_

_Never was and never will be  
Have you no shame don't you see me  
You know you've got everybody fooled_

He's mouth moved with the lyrics of the song as he listened to the track as he fiddled with sheet of paper to shape into another crane, which he added on to the accumulating pile. Seto glared at the computer and despite the sound of the rock beat only faintly registering in his ears; he couldn't help but feel agitated with the song. In his opinion it might as well be blaring like the giant speakers at a nightclub. He growled as he marched down the hall and shoved the door of the blonde's bedroom open and glaring as the blonde continued to fold his hundredth piece of paper into another origami creation and placing it into another pile. Feeling a breeze disturbing his otherwise peaceful atmosphere Joey looked up.

_Look here she comes now  
Bow down and stare in wonder  
Oh how we love you  
No flaws when you're pretending  
But now I know she_

_Never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled_

Seto clenched his fists whilst the wide ochre eyes stared up innocently at him. He was about to say something but was interrupted by the eleven year old who tugged at his trench coat meekly.

"Um… dinner's ready" Mokuba whispered as he looked back and forth between his brother and their new houseguest. Joey blinked but went back to his origami pile and back to his own world. Seto sent a final glare before allowing his brother to drag him downstairs and leaving Joey to his own devices.

Without the mask where will you hide  
Can't find yourself lost in your lie

_I know the truth now  
I know who you are  
And I don't love you anymore_

_It never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled  
_

Mokuba had returned and went to tug Joey's arm to come down to the dining room with them. "Come down and eat Joey…"

_It never was and never will be  
you're not real and you can't save me  
Somehow now you're everybody's fool_

Joey waited until the song ended when finally he heeded to the tugging of the raven headed boy switched off the CD player and followed suit. He dropped the finished paper crane upon the pile as he left. There was only silence in the dining room with the only exception of the servants coming in and out to serve the food. They were having Chinese tonight and Mokuba sat between the two teenagers. Seto was glaring at the blonde hair whilst Joey was staring at his bowl of rice. "Come on Joey you haven't eaten all day"

"So let him starve if that's what he wants," Seto said. Mokuba bit his lip staring anxiously. He felt the tension between these two and he found it hard to bear. Joey however stared at his bowl refusing to look at either of the Kaiba brothers. "Well mutt? Are you finding it awkward to eat on the table? Do you prefer the floor?"

"Seto!" Mokuba whined at his brother. "Joey ignore-"he looked up to find that the blonde was walking away and going back to his room. Mokuba sighed as he sent a hurt look at his brother before scooping portions from the various plates into Joey's bowl and followed him with it. Seto was left alone for those few minutes. It was one of the loneliest moments he had ever experienced. Settling down his chopsticks Seto crossed his arms and swallowed as the silence hovered over him like a shadow. Thankfully Mokuba had returned though the brunette's sudden anxiety of him leaving didn't subside. Mokuba sighed as he sat back down and continued to eat.

"Mokuba…" he was greeted with silence as Mokuba chewed on his food briefly. It was one of the indicators that Mokuba wasn't very happy with him. Seto tried to suppress the painful agony of being ignored like this but for his brother's sake he kept quiet and waited until Mokuba wanted to speak to him again. The wait was quite long and he had lost his appetite. They had nearly finished when Mokuba decided to speak to him again. Even the normally cheerful staff kept their thoughts to themselves as they quietly collected the empty plates and bowls. Seto glanced at the eleven year old who despite himself seemed to age very rapidly. Mokuba rubbed at his temples before he quested a glance at his brother again.

"Why are you still saying those things?" Mokuba croaked evidently showing the fatigue in his voice. Seto felt guilty about that and wasn't able to answer his brother now.

"I… I'm sorry…" Seto said. It was rare and even then he would only say such things to his brother. Mokuba sighed as he crossed his arms and shivered despite the warmth of the room. "I…"

"You didn't want him to come here…." Mokuba stated. "But you let him because of me…" Mokuba tried to blink away the tears but one escaped as the memory of the event resurfaced.

"Mokuba…" Seto said in alarm that he had inadvertently caused the eleven year old to cry again.

"It's always because of me…" Mokuba whispered as he got up and ran upstairs.

"MOKUBA!" Seto shouted after him but the raven headed boy had closed the door to his room before he Seto could reach him. Seto placed a forehead on the door and clenched his fists. He looked up to find that Joey was now munching on the bowl that Mokuba had brought up to him and staring blankly at the brunette as he absently shovelled the rice into his mouth with the chopstick. Seto glared at the blonde with a pure hate, a glare that he only ever reserved for people like the psychotic Pegasus who had flinched under that gaze. However Joey showed nothing of the sort. He merely stared at the CEO before going into his room.

----------

It was more difficult than ever to concentrate at work now as he thought about his brother and what the mutt was doing to him. To the both of them.

"Master Kaiba"

"What?" he snarled making his secretary cringe. She swallowed as she continued with her message.

"A-about the meeting with Mr Fushitama"

"Cancel it…" Seto snapped as he tried to look like he was working. The woman nodded.

"Yes… sir…" she whispered before she strode out quickly so she could escape the unemployment list. It was a Sunday and the next day Seto would have to go to school, with Joey and meet Yugi and the others. Things were not going to be pretty. He stormed out of the office early that day to go home hoping that the incompetent staff that he had was able to keep a close eye on his brother and Joey. He was met with the overbearing silence once more and noticed that Mokuba was fast asleep on the sofa. His expression softened as he stroked his brother's hair and slipped his trench coat off to cover him up. He didn't notice the blonde hovering over him at first but could do nothing but suppress a low growl as Joey still stared blankly at him. Seto was about ready to strangle the blonde for staring at him but Joey who somehow knew his intentions turned to go upstairs and into his room.

----------

School was bleaker than Seto could ever imagine. In the past he would tolerate it for the sake that it alleviated his mind from the stress at the company but now it was causing him more problems than ever. About the only thing that didn't seemed to change were the grades that he managed to achieve. He didn't know whether he was feeling more self conscious about everything he did but no matter what he seemed to do or not do it was met with disapproving looks. The blonde had strolled in after him and Tristan turned from glaring at the brunette to smiling broadly and pulling him to talk with his friends. At first he thought that the group had seemed to go back to what they use to be but Seto couldn't help but notice the puffy redness round Yugi's eyes as if he had been crying a lot. In fact it was the first time he noticed this but when he turned to see the others he found that Téa didn't smile as much as she used to or for the matter rant on about friendship. Tristan had a bruised eye from a fight he had the Friday before. He had become a lot more short-tempered, so much so that almost anything could set him off. Seto of course, was a prime target of his aggression and although he knew Seto could easily beat him up he would growl if he ever came near any of his friends.

"Welcome back Mr Wheeler… I know how hard it has been for you these past few months so we'll take this slowly all right?" the teacher said to the blonde as if she was speaking to a five-year-old child. Joey merely stared blankly at her and nodded before turning his head to stare out of the window.

"Yo Wheeler… heard you spent some time in the nut house" sneered one of the class students when bell rang for break.

"Back off Corey… "Tristan growled protectively clenching his fists and ready for a fight. Corey however was a butch boy and easily smacked Tristan out of the way and grabbed Joey by the shirt.

"D'you miss your lunatic friends at the nut house Wheeler? Why don't I help you go back and pay them a visit eh?" he raised a fist.

"You lay one finger on him Corey and I swear you will regret it" Corey looked surprised at the small tri colour headed boy glared at him defiantly. Yami glared as he took over Yugi's body and Joey was dropped.

"Oh what ya gonna do? Smack me with your little girly punches?" Corey now turned to the young duellist ready to pound him to a pulp. Yami glared defiantly. Corey chuckled then suddenly screamed in pain before clutching his crotch. Yami blinked in surprise as Joey swiftly stepped to the side and punched the fat boy hard on the nose. Blood started to pour from the pig like holes and Corey started howling and clutching his face. Joey strode on neither angry nor even smug as he past his smaller friend who reverted back to his innocent self.

Lunch was pretty uneventful despite the fact of Corey getting beaten up to squealing like the pig he is had brought some admirable attention from the rest of the classmates. Tristan stared proudly as he showcased by boasting the story to his fellow classmates who assembled round him as if they were listening to a campfire story. Lessons droned on and before Seto knew it was time to go home and for once he wasn't looking forward to it. He was about to scowl at the blonde for following him when he realised he lived with the CEO now. Irked by the fact that the blonde usually walked in the other direction and laughing with his friends. His cell rang.

"Kaiba… " he stated and sighed as he listened to staff trying to think up excuses for them botching up the software systems in their latest project. He noticed the blonde heading his way as the limo came round to pick them up. He growled as he hung up on the hysterical man on the other line before turning to the blonde.

"Hurry up… I need to go to the company" he growled at the blonde.

"Shut up Kaiba. honestly I don't see why you don't come live with us Joey" Tristan said.

"Dr Gibson said he had to be near Mokuba" Yugi reminded and Tristan growled at the name of the other Kaiba. Seto narrowed his eyes at the other brunette who reluctantly let the blonde go.

"I'll walk…" Joey explained to the CEO. Seto blinked but was almost grateful that the blonde didn't' have to travel with him.

"Whatever…" he replied as he got into the limo and left not caring that it was going to take over an hour to walk from school to Kaiba mansion. He glanced at his watch and duly noted the time that Mokuba would be going home too. He felt guilty that he wasn't able to come by and pick him up but called his brother to wait for a little longer for another limo to arrive.

----------

Mokuba sighed as he waited by the large apple tree that grew in the playground whilst all his classmates went their separate ways home from the school. They chattered eagerly about their trivial stresses from the day whilst Mokuba leaned against the large tree wondering and vaguely wishing that he could talk about such things like he used to. It seemed that something like accident could kill off all moods for innocent conversation. He looked at his watch and wandered briefly why the limo hadn't come yet when his cell rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey kiddo" Seto said on the other phone.

"What is it big brother?"

"The company got caught up in a lot of mess and I had to go there right away" He shouldn't really be surprise. There had been many a time that Seto would have to hog the limo for business reasons yet Mokuba couldn't help but feel dejected by this. He swallowed as he vaguely listened to the elaborate explanation that his brother gave him.

"-and so-"

"That's ok… big brother I understand. " Mokuba blinked when he saw the tall lanky figure of the blonde standing at the front entrance. He stood up straight and rearranged his backpack on his shoulder as he listened to his brother on the phone. It was odd that Joey had decided to come to his school rather than hang out with Yugi and the others but it wasn't like Mokuba was complaining, in fact, he seemed to feel more at peace with himself than the tumult of emotions he goes through. Joey walked towards the eleven year old and stood by him as if waiting for to walk him home as if it was something they did everyday. It was a nice, clear autumn afternoon where the leaves had turned from the leafy green during the summer to the various beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange. Mokuba used to love crunching the oak leaves under his feet and knocking down the large mounds that the servants had busily tried to pile neatly up. 'Why not?' he thought.

"I'll call the second limo over to pick you up; it'll take about twenty minutes and-"

"No… you don't have to… I'll… I'll walk" Mokuba said. There was a tense pause on the other side of the phone.

"Mokuba it's… its nearly an hour's walk to the mansion…" Seto suddenly spoke quickly.

"I'll be fine. It's a nice day and I think the exercise would do me some good… Besides Joey just came by anyway… so you don't have to worry too much…"

"Mokuba-"

"I'll be fine…" Mokuba interrupted biting his cheek guiltily that he had snapped at Seto like he did. He hung up without another word and smiled at the blonde who cocked his head in a way that highly resembled a cute golden retriever puppy. Mokuba sniggered to himself as he realised how true his brother's perception of the blonde teenager was before he took Joey by the hand and they walked home together. They both decided to take the scenic route away from the large amount of traffic and across the Domino Park. It was littered with leaves and sometimes Mokuba wondered if he had enough exercise because he frequently had to sit down at the park bench and forcing Joey to wait. It was indeed nearly an hour's walk but the fact they kept stopping a lot of the way took another half hour. They even had a break and strangely neither of them had eaten their lunches that day. "Do you always walk home?" Mokuba asked suddenly as he paused midway through his sandwich. Joey nodded in his answer. "Must be nice… well except when it's raining of course" the awkward one-sided conversation made Mokuba give up and they went back into silence.

"We could walk home tomorrow too…" Joey said suddenly. "If you want…" his long blonde tresses swayed a little against the breeze. Mokuba blinked in surprise. It was the first time that Joey that offered him something like that. Mokuba smiled at the blonde progressing again.

"Ok" he said.

-------------

It was late afternoon when they finally arrived at the mansion and Mokuba in the opinion of the staff almost seemed like his old self. The sandwiches that they had were hardly sufficient for sustenance and Mokuba asked for the staff to make something for dinner. This time Joey was less reluctant to eat but Mokuba found it strange to see the blonde eat so slowly and politely to when they first had ate together in the RPG game that Seto had been trapped in. Of course, back then he was also a lot more talkative and… happy. Mokuba bit his lip before he continued to eat when the blonde produced a chocolate from his pocket. Mokuba blinked. He never was allowed too many sweets and stared almost longingly for the sugary taste. Joey then cut the chocolate in half with a knife although disproportionately. He passed the bigger half to the eleven-year-old boy. It was another surprising revelation for it was the first time that Joey had given him something ever since the bloody paper crane that he still kept closely in his locket of his brother. He smiled happily as they both ate the treat.

Evening quickly drew on then and the cold started to settle in. Both having done their homework had settled with a movie although neither paid much attention to it. Joey was back to making paper cranes and a large pile had started to accumulate. Mokuba had settled for watching his nimble fingers working tenderly as the paper crane began to form. It was shortly afterwards that Mokuba had gone to copying the blonde and followed his precise actions.

"Look… mines flying too" Mokuba squealed as he tugged at the tail and it flapped it wings. It wasn't as neat and elegant as the ones that Joey made but he didn't care. He made it by himself and that was all that mattered. Joey blinked staring at the paper crane flapping weakly. He took the bird from the boys hands took out a pen and drew stars all over it before he placed it on the top of the pile of cranes. He then took another sheet of paper and began to start afresh. Mokuba noticed however that it was somewhat different to what Joey had done before and as before he knew it Joey had made another origami masterpiece but this time it was a flower.

-------

Seto couldn't help but feel lonely as he slaved over the corrupted software that his incompetent employees had managed to mess up but eventually the problem was finally fixed and he left the company late that evening. When he returned shortly he heard the sound of laughter for the first time since the accident and noticed that the laughter came from his little brother who was making the one of those ridiculous little origami cranes that Joey kept making flap about. Seto clenched his fists and stormed upstairs leaving his cooling dinner untouched on the table.

-----

Sam: Uh oh… the second stage of replacement MUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I know I'm evil to the CEO but I. Don't. Care…


	5. Part 5

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 5/?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Linda

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in 'that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

-------------

He turned to find it was only two o'clock in the morning when he woke up. Something felt strange and he wasn't sure what it was until he turned in his bed and noticed the figure lying there with him. The clouds had given way to the large moon shining brightly in the sky and illuminating the blond tresses spread against his pillow. Joey was lying next to him staring with his soft ochre eyes. Getting over the initial shock Seto shoved the blonde hard out of the bed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? GET OUT!" he shouted. There was flurry of footsteps as the small form of his little brother came bursting into his room and switching on the light.

"Seto! What hap-" he cried but was cut off when he saw the enraged brunette glaring down at the blonde that was now kneeling on the floor and staring at him with his puppy like eyes and fidgeting with his t-shirt. Mokuba knelt by his side before understanding dawned on him.

"I'm sorry Seto… he does that with me sometimes…" Mokuba explained whilst helping Joey to his feet.

"He sneaks into other peoples rooms and sleeps with them?" he hissed at his brother. It was Mokuba's turn to fidget as he stepped between the two older teens.

"It's harmless… really… I don't realise he's there until the next morning. Don't be mad…"

"Just…" Seto took a deep breath as he calmed his nerves. "Get him out of my room"

"O-ok…" Mokuba tugged at the blonde's t-shirt who reluctantly followed him. Seto was glaring at his back and locking the door after them before he collapsed back into his bed. He turned to his side as he tried to get to sleep but found it difficult due the near painful hunger pangs from missing dinner that night. He lay listening briefly to the whisperings of his brother coaxing the blonde to go to bed but soon enough everything was silent once more with the exception of the grumbling of his rebellious stomach. It was this silence that made him notice for the first time a smell of hot warm and cosy gravy. He turned on the light on his bedside table and there neatly beside the lamp was his plate of dinner that he had missed complete with knife and fork. He sat up again and stared briefly at it but turned off the light and tried to go back to sleep.

-----------

Mokuba was happy to see the Joey he use to know more and more of late though he despaired that he was still unable to get the blonde to smile. Sometimes they would talk about the old days, about their adventures in Duellist Kingdom and Battle City. Joey seemed to show renewed interest in Duel Monsters again as they played for the first time in the past few months.

"Hey Joey!" Joey looked up from his paper crane. "If you're up to it why don't we go visit the Games Shop? I haven't been for ages" The blonde cocked his head to the side and Mokuba couldn't help but grin at the cute puppy dog face that the blonde effectively put on when he was confused or deep in thought or both. Perhaps it was the longer hair, which was a little past his shoulders now. The remnants of his old fringe were hanging near his cheeks and his exposed soulful eyes had an air of innocence around them that was previously smothered by his tresses.

"Ok…" Joey replied. Mokuba had called for the limo driver to come round the front before packed up their game and got changed to go to Yugi's house. To his surprise and delight Yugi's grandfather welcomed them both with open arms.

"Yugi has been talking about you ever since you came out of the institute," Solomon said as he went to call down the tri colour headed boy. "YUGI… COME DOWN. LOOKS WHO'S COME TO VISIT?" he turned to smile at the two boys before inviting them both to sit down. His broad and warm smile dwindled to sadness as he proceeded in making them both a cup a tea. He sighed silently as he stirred the cups. He remembered the past few months of watching his grandson go through hellish torment. He'd walk by to hear him crying in his room ever since the accident. Even Yami the spirit was showed the signs of a deep depression and despite his best efforts of comforting the boy he himself grieved for Joey. He suspected the same with everyone else. Téa was less cheerful and had become extremely pessimistic of life. Tristan tended to have violent tempers about the littlest of things and in these months Solomon worried in particular for the blonde too and how it had affected him. It was a comfort to see him for the first time in months. "YUGI?" he called once more.

"Coming Grandpa…" he heard the little on acknowledge him finally though it sounded strangled. Solomon sighed. He must have been crying again. There was a patter of feet as the small boy tumbled down the stairs. Solomon noticed his eyes were a little red from tears despite him ridding the evidence by wiping them away with a sleeve. "What is it?" the old man smiled as he cocked his head towards the living room. Yugi peered round the door and gasped seeing his best friend sitting on the sofa. He smiled as he mentally checked himself from looking like a blubbery mess before he came to room. "Hey Joey"

"Hey…"

"Hi Yugi" Mokuba added and Yugi smiled.

"Oh Mokuba you're here too…" he said as he sat down next to the blonde. It was the only thing he said to the raven headed boy that day as he talked to the blonde continuously about what had been going on at home. Mokuba leaned back into the chair feeling a little bored when the old man that he knew as Yugi's grandfather tapped him on the shoulder and cocked his head towards the kitchen. Mokuba glanced over as the two friends were immersed in conversation. Joey had glanced a few times in his direction to see that he was all right whilst Yugi talked. Mokuba smiled before he followed the old man.

"Want to play a game? You seem awfully bored back there" he croaked and smiled warmly. Mokuba didn't know the man very well but his brief acquaintance seemed sufficient of what he pictured Solomon to be. "Are you familiar with Chinese Checkers?" Mokuba smiled and nodded. They played and they won a fair share of rounds each. Solomon chuckled breaking the large bout of silence between them. "You're really good young man"

"Thanks…" Mokuba replied before glancing over at the two teenagers in the other room.

"Don't mind my grandson Mokuba," the old man said suddenly and Mokuba turned looking confused. "He told me he has forgiven you but he is still giving you the cold shoulder now and then…"

"It doesn't matter. I was pretty sure that he didn't mean it when he told me."

"Give him time. Joey is held especially close to my grandson's heart. He was the first friend that he has ever had and to see him in so much pain is more than Yugi can bare…" Solomon said. Mokuba looked down on the floor as the memories had resurfaced once more. "But I can see… Joey is a lot stronger than anyone has ever given him credit for and I'm pretty sure Yugi will follow his example. But for now, give yourselves some time" Mokuba blinked and took a sip from his cup of hot chocolate that the old man had made for him.

"Hey grandpa? Could Joey stay over tonight?" Yugi asked coming in excitedly. Solomon smiled.

"Of course, he's more than welcome" he glanced over to the boy on his left. 'Give yourselves more time' he had said and reaffirmed his statement with an intent gaze upon the eleven-year-old.

"I could have the driver send some of his clothes so he can change into them…"

"Would you Mokuba? Thank you" Yugi chirped and smiled as he went back into the living room and took the blonde by the hand and led him to his room. Mokuba smiled and stayed for a little while longer to watch TV at the Motou household before he finally decided to leave. It was getting late after all. He went upstairs under the direction of Solomon towards Yugi's room and watched for a bit as the two friends played duel monsters. "Wow Joey you're getting better…" Yugi commented. Mokuba swallowed as he knocked on the door before coming in. Yugi looked up and smiled at the eleven-year-old.

"Um… I thought I'd tell you that I'd be going home. I already told the driver to collect some of Joey's clothes before he comes and picks me up ok?"

"Ok" Yugi replied

"Will you be alright?" Joey asked. There was a tinge of worry behind his otherwise monotonous voice. Mokuba inwardly flinched but he nodded.

"Uh huh…" he lied keeping and smiling. There was a downpour of rain when he left the Motou household with a heavy heart. He stared up at the window and saw the blonde staring right back at him in worry. He smiled in reassurance whilst being ushered into the limo by the driver who hurriedly ducked into the driver seat and started to drive away.

---------

He recognised the silence of coming home to an empty mansion, and despite the familiarity, Mokuba hated it. At least he would have to only endure it for a couple of hours more until his brother came back home. Just as the comforting thought entered his mind the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mokuba… I'm sorry but there's a big problem at the corporation and I'll probably be delayed from coming home" Mokuba sagged into the chair next to the table and bit his lip hoping that he didn't make a sound that would give away the frustration. "Mokuba?"

"It's ok… big brother, don't worry about me," he answered looking at the huge hallway and listening to the taps of his feet echo against the cavernous walls. "I've got Joey to keep me company" Mokuba lied hoping that it would comfort his brother's anxiety.

"Oh… ok…" Seto said a little unsure but Mokuba didn't allow him to dwell on it and hung up. "And I thought this mansion couldn't get anymore emptier" he muttered to himself as he sat down grabbing a remote to flick channels. Glancing at the pile of cranes he ignored the TV and began taking a fresh sheet of paper and started making another crane. He had gotten pretty good at it with the practise and had done another replica of the blonde's collection. He smiled as he leaned back pulling at the bird's tail and making it flap. It had been another few boring hours and he wasn't sure when he fell asleep but he found out it was evening when the phone rang. The ringing had stopped to be replaced with the automated answering machine.

"This is the Kaiba household. We're not in…" came his brother's crisp voice. "Leave your message after th-" Mokuba cut the machine off and answered the phone.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Are you all right?" Joey repeated the question that he had asked hours before.

"Hey… Joey. Aren't you hanging around with Yugi?"

"He's helping his grandfather with restocking the store. I just wanted to check on you... Is your brother home?" Mokuba blinked before he answered.

"No… he's got a lot of work to do at Kaiba Corp…" there was silence on the other line. "Joey?"

"I'm just getting comfortable in the living room" was the reply. Mokuba heard a brief shuffle before everything was settled. Absentmindedly he also got comfortable watching the TV as the two just talked ranging across different topics from comic books to the latest toys, the school and even a few jokes. It wasn't much but it certainly relieved the boredom in the mansion. They talked whilst they watched TV then even at dinner time where Mokuba would be busy cutting into his steak and kidney pie whilst holding the phone between his chin and his shoulders. Eventually, (it was near Mokuba's bedtime by then) Joey had to finally be forced off the phone but it didn't matter to Mokuba anymore. It wouldn't be long before his brother came back home.

-------------

Kaiba came in with a sigh before he went upstairs straight to Mokuba's room. He peeped inside expecting that perhaps the eleven year old had an early night but noticed that the boy was busy fiddling with one of Joey's paper cranes whilst watching a late night movie.

"Welcome home Seto" he said and hugged the brunette as his usual routine before climbing back into the bed.

"Seems quiet tonight… Where's Wheeler. Is he asleep?"

"He's sleeping over at Yugi's" Mokuba replied as the blonde girl on the TV screamed whilst being chased by the axe murderer. Seto narrowed his eyes.

"You were here home alone at the mansion? You told me that he was keeping you company…" Mokuba inwardly winced at the lie he had told the brunette before.

"Well in a way he was… he talked to me on the phone for a few good hours" he replied meekly in hopes to curb his brother's anger.

"While he was at Motou's place?"

"Yeah…" He didn't dare look at the cold sapphire eyes glaring down at him. It had been a long time since his brother had ever stared down on him like that and that was during the darker days of the struggle for power. Back then; their foster father had been at his most relentless in trying to keep his brother from assuming the company. The struggle and tension between the two had made it to the point that Seto had cast Mokuba aside for his own ambitions.

"Why didn't you just say you were going to be alone in the house? I could have dealt with the problem from here as well as over at Kaiba Corp"

"I just didn't want you to worry about me. You've been doing that a lot lately"

"Shouldn't I be?" Seto rasped. "Do you expect me to carry on with work like normal and ignore you crying every night in your room?" Mokuba was silent but stared up at the cobalt eyes expectantly. "Wheeler shouldn't have left you alone…"

"I thought I was the one looking after him," Mokuba said. Seto's eyes flared with cold fury before he rubbed his temple and chuckled as lines of stress started to show at the corners of his eyes.

"How old are you?"

"Eleven…"

"Eleven…" Seto repeated before his face contorted into a disgusted sneer. "Just barely a year older than I was when Gozaboro adopted us and started his 'training'. I'm not having you have to be subjected to same I went through…"

"But Joey's not like Gozaboro Seto… I owe him-"

"YOU DON'T OWN THAT STUPID MONGREL ANYTHING!" Seto bellowed down at the raven headed boy. A rippling echo sounded down the hall as the two brothers stared at each other. It was a moment of silence before Seto spoke again. "Besides, what do you even hope to accomplish out of this anyway? She's dead. That's not going to change even if you somehow help that lunatic-"

"HE'S NOT A LUNATIC!" Mokuba yelled back as his hands balled into fists and tears were brought to his eyes. The spite towards the blonde was already more than enough for him to bear every time the subject was about him and he had had enough of it.

"Oh so I suppose sharing a bed someone you barely know is common practise over at that institute huh? And making those idiotic paper cranes" Seto growled after finally snapping. "Is that how they cure people?"

"You know that's not true and as far as I was concerned Joey was just bringing you the dinner you missed that night or were you too blind to see the plate on your bedside table?" Mokuba hissed back. "At any rate if you felt that offended I'll tell him to back off. I'll even move him to another part of the mansion"

"How about this? Why don't you move him back to that God damn institute and you can move into the cell next to him?" Seto gasped just as he said that last scathing remark. Mokuba's eyes glistened as he stared intently before he ran out passed his brother and down the hall. "Mokuba… MOKUBA!!!" Seto chased after him. Mokuba ran into another room slammed and locked the door. He shuddered blinking back the tears as his brother pounded at the door pleading him to unlock it. "Please Mokuba… I'm sorry I didn't mean to… please unlock this door…" Mokuba vaguely heard the twisting of the knob. "Mokuba I-"

"It's ok…" Mokuba whispered back to him as he played with the key on his lap. "I've heard those kinds of words enough times from people talking behind my back that it doesn't even bother me anymore" Seto reacted to the new revelation with silence. Blue eyes were locked on the white barrier between the two before stared at the patterned floor of the hallway. "There was just one difference… you're the first person to say it to my face…" Time seemed to stand still as those words echoed in the young CEO's mind and for the first time in years tears fell from Seto Kaiba's eyes.

----------

Sam: sniffs I hate doing this chapter…


	6. Part 6

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 6?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Linda

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in 'that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She also doesn't own 'Whisper' by Evanescence

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

Extra notes: I'm not sure if I'm getting too out of character with Kaiba in this chapter. So if I am and you don't like it, I'm sorry… (Prostrates in advance to narrow min- I mean devoted Seto Kaiba fan girls…)

-

Mokuba got out of the car silently as he headed of to school whilst his brother sat staring out of the tinted window. Neither of the brothers had spoken to each since that night and for once Seto hated the silence. He clenched his fists tightly as the door shut desperately trying to talk to Mokuba. To let him know of his remorse but nothing came out. The limo drove on and Seto stared at his brother standing alone at the front gate of his school. He didn't notice when the limo had reached Domino High and it took the limo driver five times to inform him of his arrival before he finally got out of the car. He silently walked towards the school briefcase in hand, the cold mask of indifference still on his face despite the tumult of emotions leftover from the night before. He heard laughter and turned to glare at the group of friends who had walked together. At first when he saw Joey walking into school with his friends again, it seemed almost as if the past few months were nothing more than dream. He and Mokuba never had the argument, Joey never stayed at their house and Serenity never died. That was what he had thought at first but upon seeing the absence of a large grin upon the blonde's face, cold hard reality slapped him in the face and Seto found himself hating the blonde more than ever before.

"If you're looking to start more trouble than you already have, save it" Seto snapped his glare on a snarling Tristan and catching the attention of the rest of the group of friends. Tristan stood between Joey and the icy hatred of Kaiba's eyes and took a protective stance between the two. "I'm warning you Kaiba" Seto narrowed his eyes before he swiftly turned. Joey cocked a head peeping over Tristan's shoulder seemingly indifferent to the treatment towards the brunette but Yugi could see the evident concern behind the chocolate brown eyes. Unfortunately, from the way that Kaiba stared he would most likely kill the blonde if he were alone with him. Yugi clung to the taller boy's jacket like bur and tried to shield him from the wrath of the brunette as they entered the classroom for maths, one of the few lessons that they shared with the CEO. The classes were hollow and empty and everyone felt it. Even the cold hearted Seto Kaiba felt it and it all seemed to stem from Joey's behaviour. Quiet and subdued for him was an unnatural feeling and the class's math teacher who, like Seto, enjoyed a good banter with the blonde about homework and paying attention wanted to gain some kind of normality even if it ended up giving the blonde detention.

"Well Mr Wheeler, you've been off these few months but it doesn't excuse you from doing your homework n-" he was interrupted with a wad of three months worth of homework shoved in his face. He took it and leafed through the sheets and his face blanched. He swallowed as his attempt to humour the class failed. "Um… well done… Mr Wheeler" he said and quietly continued the day's class looking shocked and at the same time forlorn.

-

The small group of friends tried to regain the cheerfulness in their conversations at lunch talking about the usual daily stresses. Yugi couldn't help but glance at the blonde who was casting occasional glances over to the dark figure sitting with his laptop in the corner. Yugi looked over at Seto Kaiba and noticed the dark haze he had only once seen cast upon Pegasus was directed at Joey.

"Joey? Hey Joey?" he tried to draw his attention away from the CEO. Joey finally turned to him and he tried to think quickly of what to say to distract him. "Let's have a game of duel monsters huh? You've got you're deck with you haven't you?" he smiled coaxing the blonde with something he still enjoyed doing. As they played Yugi refrained from using his more powerful cards and prolonged the game till lunch was over and they could go back to class. Yugi however despaired as he remembered that none of them shared the final class that Joey had and Seto Kaiba was going to be there. "Why don't we both ditch our last classes and spend the last period hanging out on the roof?" Everyone looked surprised at the statement at first but Tristan and Téa immediately understood as Kaiba passed them and went along with Yugi's unspoken plan.

"Yugi… you never skive off classes especially on your favourite subject" Joey whispered as the young teen looked nervous all of a sudden.

"Ah… well… it's a first for everything right?" Tristan chuckled pulling Yugi into a brotherly hug and ruffling his wild mane. Yugi grinned exaggeratedly. Téa nodded providing her support.

"I think I can afford to miss one little Textiles lesson" Téa said smiling. Joey analysed his three friends and blinked a few times before he finally spoke.

"Stop trying to protect me from him… I know Kaiba seems to have some sort of vendetta against me but I'm not going to walk away like a coward. If he's got a problem with me I'll settle it with him" Joey said. The three of them looked immediately guilty.

"Joey… please… we just" Téa stuttered. Joey narrowed his eyes at her with a cold emotionless glare.

"What's the matter with you all? You never back away from anything like this… back then"

"Back then we never lost someone that we dearly loved, Joey" Tristan said defending himself and his two friends from the blonde's remarks. Tears were in his brown eyes as he shook trying to contain himself. He bit his upper lip and blinked a few times refusing to let the tears fall. He swallowed as he forced the words from his throat "We lost Serenity and you know… in a way… we're losing you too" Joey blinked the look of surprise evident on his face.

"Do you have any idea how we felt when Mokuba got you to move in to the Kaiba mansion?" Téa asked. "Everyday, we felt as if you were disappearing, everyday and then, when Yugi called us both that you were sleeping over at his house… you couldn't imagine how happy we were" Joey turned to stare down at the shortest member of their group.

"Is that true Yug'?" Joey asked tentatively. Yugi had been silent throughout the conversation. His eyes still stared at the patterned tiles of the school corridor. The late bell had long gone but neither of them cared that they were late for class.

"Your smile…" he finally said miserably. "I haven't seen you smile once since… it always cheered me up whenever I was down… and the way you laugh… it really scares me Joey… when I start to forget what it sounds like… Tristan's been telling you jokes all day… but you never laughed at one of them. Not a single one…" Yugi looked up as tears fell freely down his face. Whether Joey felt guilty or not, it had not shown on his face much to the despair of his friends. He turned slowly towards the classroom.

"I'm sorry…" he replied simply to them. As he had expected his words were hollow to his friends' ears though he wished that they weren't. Upon entering the class the teacher half heartedly scowled at his lateness but he sat down taking the full brunt of Kaiba's acidic glares. He tried to make himself look discomforted in the hopes that this would curb the brunette's anger but his body remained rigid as if frozen in a block of ice. He knew his lack of reaction was fuelling Kaiba's rage and he noted that the brunette was shaking. As the teacher turned around he tossed the message that he wrote behind him. The crumpled message bounced a few times on the table before Kaiba picked it up and read it. 'Meet me in the gym'.

-

Joey gathered his books and walked out the door towards the gym and waited. The school was nearly empty as the students filed out of the building before he finally heard footsteps that started to approach him. Joey turned to stare at the brunette dressed as smartly as per usual but still holding the icy glowering sapphire eyes that had been locked on him all day. The brunette strode with an air of foreboding even without the long flapping trench coat that trailed behind him.

"I think I know why you're looking like you want to murder me all day but would you mind telling me why?"

"That's one problem… dogs don't think" Seto snarled.

"Is this about Mokuba?" Joey asked, casually ignoring the dog insult. Seto's heart jolted painfully at the name of his brother but he narrowed his eyes once more at the blonde. Without even a flinch Joey continued. "Did you two have an argument?" Seto bit at the inside of his cheek furiously.

"Yes, Wheeler as a matter of fact we did… are you happy?" he asked mockingly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. Are you happy that we had an argument? Are you happy that tearing the two of us apart means you've avenged your sister's death? I'm sure she's rolling around with glee six feet under with the worms and maggots" an enraged roar erupted in the large gym as Kaiba was shoved to the floor and punches flew into the brunette's ribs. He silently cursed himself as he kicked the attacker away from him. Tristan's eyes were lit with a manic hysteria as he went to launch at the brunette only for the blonde to block his path.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT SERENITY THAT WAY!" Tristan roared as he struggled to break free from the blonde. Kaiba staggered to his feet despite himself. He still looked immaculate despite the obvious attack that knocked him to the floor. Joey was struggling to restrain the other brunette when a tri coloured blur charged his way and knocked him down again. Everyone stood shocked staring at the small duellist. Everyone knew what Yugi thought of physical violence and Seto knew the consequence of his words had pushed everyone too far. Yugi stood, breathing as if he had done hundred metre sprint half a dozen times and glaring at the fallen CEO.

"You… you ungrateful… son of a… "Yugi growled shaking all over. "She saved your brothers life you… YOU!" he launched at him again. Joey dove to hold him back as he clawed at the blue eyed brunette, this however left Tristan unattended. He grabbed a bat from one of the gym equipment ready to strike at Kaiba. A sickening crack and a scream of pain echoed in the hall. After that came silence and the pent up fury in the two boys subsided into shock as the blonde clutched his dislocated shoulder. Kaiba stared up at him unharmed.

"Oh God…" Tristan whispered as the bat slipped from his finger and clattered to the floor. Yugi's hand flew to his mouth. Wincing from pain Joey opened his eyes staring through gritted teeth to stare at the CEO beneath him. Realising that he was unhurt he backed away from Kaiba who stood stock in disbelief. Joey dropped to his knees as Tristan and Yugi immediately went to his aid as Seto stormed out of the gym in, Joey noticed, confusion and guilt. Joey tried to call him back but all that came out was a whimper of pain. "Joey… I… I didn't…" Tristan stopped knowing that he had no excuse for what he did. "I'll go get the nurse…"

"Don't…" Joey rasped despite the pain. "The school will want to know what happened then you'll be suspended… I'll fix the arm myself…" He staggered to his feet and slammed his shoulder hard against the wall. Another resounding pop but Joey this time refused to scream. He blacked out for a few moments before he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Joey…" Yugi whispered.

"Game shop… tonight…" Joey replied glancing from one friend to the other. "We'll talk then"

"But…" Tristan began but blanched at the Joey's soulful stare. They both nodded guiltily as the blonde stumbled out of the building.

-

"Hey Kaiba better make sure you have an adult to help you cross the road" taunted one of the third year students as Mokuba left from school that day. He stared at his grade. It was a B. He was letting his grades slip again and instantly could feel the salt rub into already sore wounds from the night before. "What's the matter Killer Kaiba? Cat caught your tongue" Mokuba froze and glared remarkably like his brother. The other students cringed but the obvious leader stood his ground despite himself.

"What did you call me?" Mokuba growled.

"Ooh… what a dirty look Killer Kaiba… that's right… Killer. Kaiba." they laughed as Mokuba growled and punched the third year student. He didn't know who his name was and frankly he didn't care. "Hey get off me! HELP! HELP!" screamed the third year in fear of the relentless pounding of Mokuba's fists. He snarled as strong hands grabbed on his and pulled him away. Mokuba struggled to claw at the boy who shook fearfully before he was shaken firmly out of his rage. He looked up into blank ochre eyes. Joey carefully wrapped his arms firmly around the boy to protectively and at the same time restraining him.

"He's not worth your time Mokuba…" he whispered urging him to stop and Mokuba reluctantly complied whilst still glaring at the student. Joey stared at the student who looked even more scared of him than the young Kaiba. Joey then took Mokuba by the hand and walked him away from the school. Despite the minor victory over the third year, Mokuba couldn't help but feel the humiliated as they walked out of the front gates. When they were out of sight of teachers and students Mokuba wrenched his arms away from the blonde and began to run. The screech of a car and the honk of a horn followed as he was violently pulled down to curb by a hand.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU CRAZY KID!" shouted the driver at the young boy. He looked up with tear filled eyes at the blonde staring at him.

"Be careful…" Joey said monotonously as he squatted beside the raven headed kid. Joey held a hand out to the eleven year old to pull him up but Mokuba slapped it away. Silence then he broke letting the tears fall freely down his face.

"Why? Why do you have to be so nice to me?" Mokuba yelled as he brushed his long tresses from his grey eyes. He hiccupped as his anger turned into a whispering sorrow. "Everybody… hates me… everybody… Tristan and Yugi, even my brother… you… you you're supposed to hate me the most… just… WHY?" he screamed and punched the blonde who merely stood there watching the torment unravel in his eyes. The boy sobbed into his t-shirt when Joey spoke up again.

"Because I don't want my sister's sacrifice to mean for nothing…" Joey replied pulling the boy back and wiping away the tears "but nobody seems to see that, not even Yugi and Tristan" he hugged the eleven year old. "I don't know what Seto and you were arguing about but I know whatever he said he didn't mean it… He just hates seeing you like this and so do I…" Mokuba stood rigid as he listened to what the teen said to him. He pulled back.

"Weird… Seto said pretty much the same thing when we first visited the institute" Mokuba mused before he straightened up. "I want to talk to him tonight… maybe we could have pizza together when he gets back from work?" he asked. Joey nodded as the limo arrived to pick the young Kaiba up. "Shall we skip the car ride and go walk in the park again?"

"Not today… I have some things I need to do…" Joey ruffled the boy's hair before Mokuba went home. Joey turned to walk away, the ache in his shoulders lessened only slightly as he ran off to the direction of Kaiba Corp.

-

_Catch me as I fall_

_Say you're here and it's all over now_

_Speaking to the atmosphere_

_No one's here and I fall into myself_

_This truth drives me_

_Into madness_

_I know I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

Seto stood atop the building of the Kaiba Corp roof looking down upon the city of Domino. The cars below were like multi coloured ants racing by in lines as his jacket rippled over a gentle breeze. It seemed like the same sensation he felt standing at Duellist Kingdom once teetering upon the brink of a concrete oblivion. For the first time he was truly confused by the actions of the blonde. They were never close; he, Seto Kaiba always regarded Joey as the verbal and sometimes physical punch bag his way of venting out his frustrations with the company, school and life in general. It amused him to rile the blonde with a snide insult. No, they were not close however Seto never thought he could hate the blonde, he had no reason to. It was not like Pegasus or his late foster father and yet he could feel the intensity of familiar conflicting emotions.

_Don't turn away_

_(Don't give in to the pain)_

_Don't try to hide_

_(Though they're screaming your name)_

_Don't close your eyes_

_(God knows what lies behind them)_

_Don't turn out the light_

_(Never sleep never die)_

"Is this always your solution to your problems whenever you can't figure things out?" he heard Joey say. He turned to glare at the blonde. 'No doubt Mokuba must have let him come here otherwise he would never have gotten past security' Seto thought.

_I'm frightened by what I see_

_But somehow I know_

_That there's much more to come_

_Immobilized by my fear_

_And soon to be_

_Blinded by tears_

_I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

"What do you want Wheeler?" there was silence at first when Joey finally spoke.

"He talks a lot about you…" he said. "Back when we were in the institute, the orphanage, the adoption, how you got to be the CEO of a huge electronics company. He even managed to talk for a full two hour session about what you and him did in the parking lot whilst waiting for the limo driver who was ten minutes late to pick you up" He stopped to search the brunette's eyes and what must be going through his mind.

"He says they hate him, everyone… they hate him because of what happened" Seto glared.

"It was an accident… Out of everyone he didn't…"Seto glared at the blonde's accusations, defending his brother. "It's not his fault. It's not his fault! IT'S NOT HIS FAULT!" he shouted breathing deeply. The blonde was unfazed by the outburst and immune to glare that Seto sent his way because he was staring submissively upon the floor as if gathering his own thoughts. He looked up again.

"Mm hmm…" Joey hummed. "I didn't think so either…" Seto gasped as he stared deep into the soulful ochre eyes of the blonde and the all the anger and bitterness seemed ebb away from him.

_Don't turn away_

_(Don't give in to the pain)_

_Don't try to hide_

_(Though they're screaming your name)_

_Don't close your eyes_

_(God knows what lies behind them)_

_Don't turn out the light_

_(Never sleep never die)_

Realisation dawned in his eyes and the hatred completely dissipated leaving only the confusion of memories. The strange behaviour and actions of the blonde came to light as gestures of goodwill rather than spite. Seto had always found deceit of those claiming to be allies, watched closely for their motives and actions. He had been brought up to recognise the signs of malice beneath kindness but became frustrated when he could not find any such signs in the blonde. Joey was not trying to turn brothers against each other for revenge which left Seto with no other explanation for his intentions and further more why did the blonde defied his friends in order to protect him at the same time injuring himself. Lost in the confusion of conflicting logical thoughts against emotions, Seto also lost his footing upon the roof ledge. He gasped as he felt himself plummet, his eyes had been locked on Joey and at first it seemed to take forever for him to disappear from his sight once he did everything raced passed his eyes as he plunged past the many windows of the Kaiba Corp building.

_Fallen angels at my feet_

_Whispered voices at my ear_

_Death before my eyes_

_Lying next to me I fear_

_She beckons me_

_Shall I give in?_

_Upon my end shall I begin?_

_Forsaking all I've fallen for_

_I rise to meet my end_

He felt lost and expected to wake up from a dream when he hit the floor. He stared up to the blue sky and felt an eerie calm in him when his view was blocked and a figure dove right after him. His eyes widened as Joey dove towards him edging closer as they fell. He felt warm arms wrap around his body and suddenly a sharp pain in yanked his shoulder as he stopped short from the fall. He was hanging about ten feet from the roof of the Kaiba Building dangling by one arm as Joey held on his wrist in a firm hold whilst he had one leg and one arm hooked on one of the flagpoles that were attached to the building. Seto's gasped from the look of pain in Joey's eyes and recalled the fleshy pop. The blonde's arm was dislocated again from the force of their drop and Seto realised the reality of their situation. He heard a quiet scream behind the double glazed windows and saw his employees staring in horror at his position. Immediately there was a rush of security guards on the roof to their rescue.

_Don't turn away_

_(Don't give in to the pain)_

_Don't try to hide_

_(Though they're screaming your name)_

_Don't close your eyes_

_(God knows what lies behind them)_

_Don't turn out the light_

_(Never sleep never die)_

"Master Kaiba get yourself into that harness and we'll pull you up" the man called. As soon as they were sure that the CEO was firmly secured into harness they pulled him up. When he was relieved of the burden, Joey pushed himself up to straddle the flag pole and cradling his arm whilst he waited for the harness to come back down to collect him. Seto glanced as he passed the panting blonde, cold sweat had broke out as tears from the agonising pain in his shoulder rolled down his eyes. As soon as both boys were safely on the roof again Kaiba rushed to check on Joey who was white as a sheet. The security guards wrapped them both in warm blankets as they waited for paramedics to arrive. Seto brushed the overgrown fringe and tucked it behind the blonde's ears. The brown eyes were glazed and his breaths came in short gasps as he went into shock. Seto finally understood the signs, the blonde's true intentions and an unfamiliar wrenching guilt twisted in his stomach. He stroked the silky tresses wondering despite knowing how illogical it was if it would comfort the blonde's traumatic experience.

-

After having answered the questions asked and his physical condition confirmed with minor injuries, Seto went to search for the blonde.

"Where's the ward for Joey Wheeler?" he asked.

"Ward 58 down the hall turn left sir" the nurse replied pointing down the corridor. He nodded his thanks and headed in the pointed direction. Entering Ward 58 many pairs of eyes were on him. Some of which turned from surprise to hateful glares.

"As I was saying" the doctor continued "it was a complete dislocation and there might possibly some torn ligaments so we'll need to put him in a sling for a few weeks. After that we'll need to do some rehabilitation exercises to strengthen the muscles"

"Thank you doctor" Yugi said gratefully before turning his back from the CEO to gazing in concern at Joey asleep on the hospital bed. He brushed away the blonde tresses on the pillow as the doctor left. Seto swallowed as the group of friends were still glaring at him even when he approached Joey. Tristan moved in his way.

"Stay away from him Kaiba" he growled. "I don't care if this is a hospital but you're not coming anywhere near my friend. Ever" his hands balled into fists threateningly whilst neither Yugi nor Téa were going to make a move to stop him. Seto didn't want another argument to start with the group. He wanted to check on Joey, who was incapacitated by the painkillers the doctors had administered. He swallowed as he backed away at least relieved with the fact that Joey was well. He was discharged and left the hospital with a heavy heart.

-

The pizza had arrived but neither Joey nor Seto had returned. Mokuba leaned back against the chair as the loneliness was starting to get to him again. It was at that moment that the door opened. He sat up straight as Seto walked into the hallway wearily.

"Seto…" Mokuba whispered approaching the teen slowly remembering the bitterness of their argument the night before. Seto looked at him with dull eyes before he strode over to the boy held the boy.

"I'm so sorry" he whispered to Mokuba's surprise. "I didn't mean to say what I did last night… I… wasn't thinking straight… I haven't thinking straight for months"

"It's ok…" Mokuba replied. "I shouldn't have lied to you either… I talked with Joey today and realised how stressed, you already were worrying about me" he blinked realising what was missing. "Where is Joey anyway?" Seto tightened his hold over his brother which caused Mokuba to panic. "Seto what happened? Is he ok? Where is he?"

"At the hospital" Mokuba pulled away horrified. "For a dislocated shoulder…" Seto reluctantly explained what had transpired between the two and his confrontation with the blonde's friends. After his explanation Mokuba nodded understandingly but he suddenly became anxious.

"Do you… do you think Tristan will act on what he said? That he won't let us near him anymore?" Mokuba asked fearfully. Seto pursed his lips as the dreaded vows from the brown eyed brunette seemed to echo in his mind.

"It might be possible given the situation that I've put Joey under, they'll have a very good reason for taking him off our care" the two brothers found themselves clinging with dread, the pizza that was intended for the three of them lay forgotten on the table.

-

Sam: (sigh) I'm sorry this took so long that I think people might have forgotten what it was all about. I is sowwy… TT


	7. Part 7

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 7?

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Linda

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in 'that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. She also doesn't own 'Immortal' by Evanescence

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

Author Notes: The following chapter starts a two weeks after the 'fall' incident

-

He tossed and turned that night in the bed however the prospect of sleep like so many before had totally eluded him so he settled to staring up at the ceiling of his room helpless to the images of the blonde diving down after him as he fell. The soulful brown eyes had bored into his own penetrating through his soul and leaving a clear mark in his mind. He could still remember the warmth of the arms holding him and absently wrapped his arms around himself in the hope of recapturing those sensations. The emotions of feeling safe seemed so alien yet familiar to him. Almost his entire life he had to fight. He had to stay strong. He had to carry this burden of responsibility on his shoulders and to do so he had learnt to forget what feeling protected felt like. Then all of a sudden those feelings appeared out of the blue when blonde propelled himself off the building after him. Since that day Joey was taken out of his care, his things moved to Yugi's place with the exception of the many paper cranes that littered in the now empty guest room, which started to gather dust. Seto didn't allow the birds to be thrown away or for the cleaning staff to enter the room to disturb it. He'd absently find himself lingering at the guestroom doorway and staring inside at the empty space where Joey sat for hours on end folding, tucking and creasing the pieces of paper into their respective shapes. School seemed emptier than before as Seto came into class to do nothing more than stare at the empty seat two seats away from him; work felt monotonous despite Seto having done much the same thing everyday before without harbouring feelings of fatigue, lack of enthusiasm or motivation. Even duelling lost its appeal. Seto hadn't touched his deck for two weeks and it started feeling like a dead weight in his pocket. All this… because of that day he finally saw him for what he truly is, who he truly is. Without prejudice, without past experiences, without the complications of trying to look deeper for deception he simply saw him as the real Joey Wheeler for the first time. Seto's jerked his head up to the door when it clicked open. Mokuba stood in the doorway staring at him, his hair was ruffled but he looked wide awake.

"I can't sleep" he said. Seto blinked in surprise but did not find Mokuba crawling under his covers and snuggling up to him unwelcoming. He sighed and stroked the long ebony tresses patiently watching the boy's eyes droop and finally drifting away into slumber. The brunette found however that he had no such comfort and stayed awake all night like so many nights before.

-

He saw them reach the entrance of the school gates just as the car pulled up against the side walk talking happily it seems. He got out of the car just as Joey caught his glance and turned to stare back at him. As he did this it caught the attention of the three friends that were with him. Seto ignored pretty much everything around him except for the soft, soulful, ochre eyes. Suddenly the weeks of turmoil and the suppressing silence had lifted almost immediately and vanished as if it had never happened. He was snapped out of reverie from the loud chime of the clock tower on their school before he sat down at his desk. The class started getting interesting now that Joey was back in school and sadly Seto for once found the maths class they had far too short. Apart from lunch there was only going to be one other class that he'd be sharing with the blonde that day and suddenly he had felt tired again. Unable to bear the oppression of his Business Studies class he excused himself to the bathroom vaguely hoping that the Joey would do the same. As it turned out, the bathroom was empty. He leaned against the wall shuddering from the cold tiles against his back and stood there, waiting. He knew he was being foolish, he and Joey had no prior arrangements to meet in the boys' bathroom and whether the blonde came was purely by chance to relieve himself and yet, he waited. The bell rang for the end of second period and onto the third period but Seto didn't leave the spot. All he did was wait. It was until the lunch bell that Seto, dejectedly, gave up and walked towards the cafeteria whilst a silent eagerness to see the blonde crept into his heart. Sure, Joey would most definitely be surrounded by a wall consisting of Yugi, Téa and Tristan but Seto knew he would feel a bit better even if he was only able to see him at a distance. However, when he found the table they usually sat at in the cafeteria, it was empty and he cursed himself for letting himself get his hopes up like that. No doubt, Yugi and the others would have anticipated his presence in the cafeteria, so they must have decided to move and take Joey someplace else. He felt his stomach hitch painfully from the disappointment as the world seemed to crash down on him. He waited a little longer hoping that perhaps they were just delayed but when the hall had started to get crowded he knew that Joey was not going to be here. Disheartened, he went outside and sat alone against the largest cherry blossom tree on the school grounds, which was well hidden from any prying eyes. The air was cool from the winter chill but the ground was dry and the sun shone against a clear blue sky illuminating the cherry brown branches, which although appearing barren and lifeless seemed beautiful in its own simplistic way. He opened his laptop in the hopes of distracting himself until the final period of class. Fortunately, he seemed at peace when staring at the laptop, he didn't know why but felt thankful and started working unaware of the growing pile of paper birds on the other side of the huge tree.

-

"Is your shoulder ok Joey?" Yugi asked.

"You've asked me that about 100 times already" Joey said irritably despite the monotone in his voice, his arm in a sling. Yugi winced and smiled sheepishly.

"Ah come on Joe, Yugi's just concerned about ya, that's all" Tristan defended the small boy.

"I'm going to the john"

"Ok we'll wait for you at the cafeteria ok?" Téa said.

"Don't bother I'm not hungry" his friends winced. Joey had been acting cold ever since he had been told that he was being taken out of Kaiba's care. After hearing the incident about Kaiba falling off the Kaiba Corp building and Joey risking his own life to save him it had been become too for them all to take and appealed for custody immediately. Yugi looked up at the two brunettes.

"You two go on ahead. I'll talk to him" Tristan went to say something when Téa pulled him into the direction of the cafeteria. Yugi followed the blonde into the boy's bathroom. Joey was leaning against the cold tiles of the bathroom. Joey was going to speak to him at the moment but Yugi went about to gather his thoughts. "We were just worried. I mean how did you expect us to react when we heard you jump off a building to save Kaiba? Just sit back and say: Well done Joey… you nearly killed yourself but you were really brave about it" Joey said nothing but simply staring at the watery puddle. Yugi bit his lip before anger started to over come him. "What do you exactly see in Kaiba anyway?" he seethed. Joey pushed himself off from the wall and gazed down deep into the amethyst eyes with his own soulful brown. He looked thoughtful in gathering his thoughts together in to describing to his friend.

"Because I saw how scared he was…" Joey replied. "When he thought Mokuba was going to die… I recognised that fear… I recognised it because I use to see it so many times in the mirror before… It was never about death… it was about being torn apart and abandoned. It hurts, it scars. No one but those who've experienced that kind of hurt and have been scarred by it will know what it really feels like. Serenity knows the feeling, that's why she saved Mokuba… and that's why… I saved Seto" Yugi blinked in surprise at the use of the CEO's first name and looked down on the floor tears started to collect on the corner of his eyes.

"So who will save you?" Yugi asked as tears started to fall down his face. "Will 'I' be able to?"

"It's not a matter of being saved for me anymore Yugi, it's just a matter of carrying on and living with it... without regret" he said emphasising the last two words. He started to leave the bathroom only stopping to pass something into Yugi's hands. Yugi stared at the frail looking crane as he sobbed silently alone. He tugged at the tail and made the bird jerk to life. Yugi turned to find that Joey had gone and when he arrived at the cafeteria he only saw two disappointed brunettes staring at him. He sat with them contemplating what Joey said to him and inwardly his heart ached more than ever before.

-

Joey had left to sit at the large cherry blossom tree and placing the large wad of paper he had sneaked out of the school and continued making the paper cranes. He was silently but awkwardly (due to his arm in a sling) folding his third origami crane when he heard a rustle of footsteps behind him and a body settling on against the large tree on the other side. He heard a soft sigh then typing on a laptop. He said nothing fully content with the person on the other side of the tree to go on with his business whilst he carried on making his paper cranes. Silently, a pile of birds, although accumulating slightly slower than usual, rested neatly on his left and he ignored the loud chiming of the lunch bell signalling him for the next lesson.

-

His head jerked at the sound of the bell signalling the end of school when he realised that he had fallen asleep whilst working on his laptop and waiting for the final period. It was then that the school was emptying out and the students were all going home that he realised that he fell asleep during the final period and his last chance to see the blonde that day. Cursing silently to himself, he suddenly realised someone's coat was covered over him like a blanket whilst his laptop was turned off and laid inside his metal briefcase. His eyes widened as he recognised it as Joey's coat for he had walked to school wearing it that morning. Realising this, he looked around for a sign of the blonde but he was no where to be seen. He got up, tucked the jacket under his arm and eagerly walked towards the crowd in the hopes of finding him lingering in final period

"Mr Kaiba!" exclaimed Miss Kawasaki his history teacher as a few students that stuck behind began to file out. She was a young woman in her early to mid twenties with a pretty face. "I haven't seen you in class today young man. Where have you been?"

"Is Jo-Wheeler here?" he asked. The history teacher looked surprised but answered.

"Mr Wheeler left school early today. I noticed that he was having trouble writing his notes in class so I sent him to the nurse's office. She in turn sent him home. Is there something-" Seto didn't stick around to answer the question asked by his history teacher. He merely walked away with the coat in his hand. The air was getting colder and Seto worried that it was starting to snow and Joey had nothing to wear but his school jacket. Hopefully he returned to Yugi's home safely, the limo was waiting and he slid into the leather seat interior whilst his chauffeur drove away towards the Kaiba Corp building.

"Drive me to the Turtle Game Shop" he announced

"Yes Master Kaiba" was the reply and took a left turn. Seto looked at the small and modest shop before him. He had only seen the inside of it once before and he remembered that he had not parted with the place on good terms. Straightening himself he entered and remembered the small ring of the bell. Old man Motou was humming a tune and given his small stature had to use a ladder to reach for some spare stock on the shelf. He was teetering on the last step of the ladder dangerously.

"WHOA!" he yelped as he fell. Seto immediately made a move and grunted slightly from the impact of the old man against his chest. "Oh thank you… young- ah Kaiba?" he gasped in astonishment. Seto blinked but backed away and looked down upon the floor. "It's been a while since I saw you last" the old man said cheerfully. Seto looked into the friendly amethyst eyes and recognised some of the resemblance between the old man and his grandson. He backed away remembering himself calling the man a 'senile old fool' once and glancing down the small hallway that lead to the living room hoping to take a glimpse of the blonde inside. He knew that Joey had moved in with Yugi and hoped to God that he had arrived safely home.

"I just need to drop this off and-"

"Go ahead" Solomon interrupted nodding towards the open door. "He's inside. Don't worry it'll take my grandson at least half an hour to get home even if he hurries so you have some time with him" the old man smiled at the surprised brunette but Seto complied and nodded his thanks to him. It was a modest room, a sofa, two chairs and family TV whilst another door leads to the kitchen and dining room. His eyes searched the blonde before he peeked over the back of the sofa. He saw the tresses of hair splayed against one of the arms of the sofa whilst Joey's head was nestled on a few cushions. He realised the blonde was asleep when he leaned over some more to see his face before he decided to go round the sofa. Joey was indeed fast asleep against the pillows with a blanket over his legs and his right arm which was in a sling rested across his chest. Seto placed the coat over the other arm of the sofa and pulled the blanket over the blonde before settling down to gaze upon the blonde sleeping. Joey's face was peaceful and a bang of his now long fringe graced his cheek, whilst his lips were slightly apart. He snored softly and shifted a bit making the hair on his cheek droop into his face tickling his nose. Seto pushed back the hair with his fingers and tucked it behind the blonde ear.

"I'm sorry, for what I said" Seto whispered to the blonde. He got the chance to say anything to him since the 'fall' and everyday he felt the regret deepen however saying it to him while he was asleep was only slight compensation to what he truly owed Joey. He wished that the blonde would wake to hear his apology in full but was sadly denied. "I realise now what you were trying to do…" he continued. "and I can't believe I didn't see it, I should have realised it when your mother visited you… the way she slapped you so coldly and your father… he didn't even come to visit…" he shook from a sudden chill running down his back at the feelings. "You're alone… aren't you, Joey? So alone…" he gently touched his head against Joey's feeling the soft and slow breaths gracing his cheeks. He let a single tear fall from his cobalt eyes then sat back to just gazing at the sleeping boy. He was content to just stare forever however time was not his friend and soon he had to leave before Yugi and the others came back home. Standing up he walked towards the shop where Solomon stood leaning against the doorway.

"I see you've finally reached an understanding with Joey huh? He is a remarkable boy that I've come to teach. Despite so many things happening to him in the past he always kept a smile on his face and gives others hope and happiness because of it"

"He hasn't smiled since she died"

"Yes… well… Serenity's death was far too important. It is something that one has to do on their own and it can't be dismissed by a simple gesture. He will smile eventually when all his friends are ready to move on…"

"I want to help him. I want to stop him feeling that… loneliness…" Seto said suddenly. His hands were balled into fists and tensed as he looked down on the floor. "But… I… I don't know how… I might end up hurting him again" Solomon smiled comfortingly.

"You'll figure it out eventually Kaiba. In the meantime though I won't tell them you came" Solomon replied and Seto nodded his thanks to the old man. His limo drove off just as Yugi and Tristan rounded the corner.

-

"Hey grandpa!" Yugi greeted as the door bell rang. Solomon smiled and greeted the two boys. "How's Joey? I was told he got sent home early"

"Man, I told him not to come to school today" Tristan mumbled. Solomon chuckled and smiled.

"He's fine boys, he's in the living room asleep. Don't disturb him alright?"

"Sure! Hey grandpa? Can Tristan stay for dinner? We've both got a homework assignment that we want to work on together" Yugi asked eagerly and the old man happily agreed. The two friends tiptoed past the sleeping blonde and tried to go upstairs.

"Hey guys" Joey said sleepily from the sofa to their surprise.

"Ah, you caught us Joey" Tristan said cheerfully lightly punching Joey in the left arm. "Hey Yugi mind if I play on your Play station?"

"We're supposed to be doing our homework Tristan" Yugi said.

"Pwease?" he pouted feigning puppy dog eyes and failing badly at it.

"Were you trying to beg cutely or are you just feeling constipated?" Joey drawled. The two friends looked surprised but were extremely delighted that another part of Joey's attribute that they loved show up. Tristan narrowed his eyes in a mock glare.

"Oh yeah well I'd like to see you try it" Joey widened his eyes a little tucked in his chin a bit and pouted a little but not too much. His shaggy hair increased the effect.

"Aww…" Yugi cooed and giggled at the perplexed look on Tristan. Joey immediately dropped the façade and leaned back against the sofa looking defiant. His two friends chuckled at the teasing light heartedly.

"You can play on it for a little bit Tristan but we really need to get our assignment done if you don't want to fall behind again" Yugi urged. Tristan nodded eagerly and ran up the stairs whilst Yugi went into the kitchen. Joey nestled back against the sofa again his eyes were still heavy despite the one hour nap he had since he returned to the game shop. The painkillers that were prescribed to him by the hospital although alleviated the aching in his shoulder also caused him to be extremely drowsy. "Joey?" he heard Yugi call out to him and he forced himself to stay awake.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry, back at that conversation we had at school. I guess I was being selfish…" Joey blinked noticing the hurt in the boy's abnormally large eyes. Joey blinked a few times as the events of their conversation went through his head and the two corner of his lips quirk slowly as if testing, it seemed such a small thing yet it took so much effort for him. Yugi gasped at the sight as Joey smiled for the first time. It paled in comparison of his full out grins before the accident but it was a tremendous step forward for the both of them. His lips curled up a little more testing how far the smile could go, it was simple, sweet and honest but Yugi shook with joy of being the first to see it after months of aloofness.

"It's ok to be selfish sometimes Yugi…" Joey said staring at the floor, his eyes drooping. "After all the first thing we ever learn to do is 'want'" the smile finally faded away but Yugi swore to himself that he would treasure such a memory "and the most difficult thing for people to do is to learn where to draw the line between what they want and what others want" Yugi blinked surprised by the wisdom that the blonde shared with him "it's impossible really, to find that balance, someone will always get hurt but that doesn't stop us trying right?" Joey sighed as sleep finally won out and he sagged against the cushions.

"Right…" Yugi answered to the sleeping blonde. "Joey?"

"Hmm?" Joey sighed as he snuggled into the pillows.

"Do you like Kaiba?" Joey sighed in his answer. "Do you… _love _him?" another sigh and yet Yugi seemed to know the answer to the questions despite them not being answered he leaned down towards the boy's ear and whispered. "I love you…" and brushed the tresses away "but I know you don't feel the same way… so…" he swallowed painfully as tears welled in his eyes. "I'll let you go Joey... I'll draw the line and let you go…" a tear slid down his face as he drew back. He wiped it away with his sleeve.

Are you all right hikari?Yugi heard the baritone voice of his other half ask tentatively. They hadn't spoken for a while so it came as a surprise to Yugi when the Yami made his presence known. Yami revealed himself in his transparent form as they spoke without words. He looked dishevelled, a tired weariness that aged him to look as old as he was supposed to be. His normally sharp eyes were dull and he had bags under them and the glorious multi coloured mane drooped from months of stress and worry.

/I'm fine… it's weird though… it's actually a lot less painful than I feared/ he replied. Yami's sharp eyes seemed to spark to life as he saw the truly content smile of his other self. /You look like crap/ Yugi said suddenly.

I do huh?Yami asked touching his face and looking away shamefully.

/I'm sorry I worried you so much Yami but you don't have to worry about me anymore…/ Yugi whispered and smiled. He was relieved after sensing the heartache in his hikari had finally subsided after so many months. The five thousand year old spirit smiled joyfully and he wrapped his arms around the young boy. He silently thanked all the Gods and Goddesses and finally the sleeping blonde on the sofa for allowing Yugi to be happy again.

"I need to sort something out Yami do you mind helping me?" Yugi whispered out loud.

"Why did you even ask… you'll know I'll always help you in any way I can" Yami whispered back.

-

Seto sat back staring at the blank screen of his computer, a lifeless machine that held no prospects to him, no meaning, nothing. 'Strange, I've never looked at a computer like that before' he thought realising that his life's work and love of technology seemed diminished. He realised that he had to accept change, it would be a struggle to cope at first but it's wasn't something as simple as deleting a file on the computer. It was going to be there for the rest of his life. He could imagine those soulful brown eyes accompanied by the dull ache pulsating from them. 'I don't want to hurt him anymore. I know the logical thing for me to do that is to stay away from him altogether. We'll be graduating this year anyway… so… staying away from him will be easier once we leave school… and…'. It seemed such a straightforward reason yet he felt his throat constrict at the thought of being so far from him, to be unable to see his face or hopefully to see a smile graced upon his lips.

"Sir?" said his secretary rapping at her employer's door nervously. Kaiba looked up from the document in his hand.

"What?"

"A Mr Motou wants to speak with you" Panic flashed in Seto's heart though he didn't show it. 'Had Yugi found out? Did the old man lie to him about keeping his visit to the Game shop a secret?' He blinked as his only external sign of nervousness before he nodded.

"Let him in" he said and the secretary sighed walking letting the young boy through. Though small in stature he carried air of confidence when he strode into the office. His sharp eyed stare was fixedly at the brunette, an intense violet fire that was capable of lashing at his icy persona front. It was nothing like the warmth of the ochre brown of the blonde that he had been thinking about for the past two weeks. "What is it Motou?" he inwardly flinched at the intensity of the violet gaze as the result of Yami and Yugi merging into this one being.

"Just wanting to get our issues with each other straightened out for Joey's sake" he said to the brunette. Seto sat up leaning forward appearing nonchalant despite his heart racing inside. "Two weeks ago that day when Joey got hurt I could tell how much you hated him when you were at school… but ever since I saw you in hospital I saw that something's changed. I heard rumours that you tried to commit sui-"

"I wasn't…" Seto interrupted. He glared intensely in to defend his position from a potential attack from the boy. He knew when Yugi got like this he meant business, not counting the furious and impulsive assault two weeks ago. "I was… careless" Seto said the word through gritted teeth. He loathed the word but he knew it was the perfect description for what happened to him.

"Explain" the tri colour headed teen demanded and Seto complied reluctantly explaining the argument he had had with Mokuba and why he blamed it on Joey since he was the subject of the argument. Yugi's eyes narrowed even more at the accusation but allowed the brunette to carry on with the story. To his surprise, Seto who was usually so articulate had started to falter near the end.

"I was on the roof trying to… think things through and stood at the edge… it helped me focus " he swallowed as the memories of their conversation overwhelmed him. He blinked away a few tears. "He… followed and he told me about what he and Mokuba talked about back when he was still in the institute… He then went round to tell me what Mokuba was feeling… about how much everyone hated him, how much everyone blamed him for what happened. I was angry, I was angry at them for treating him that way, as if he didn't deserve to be saved and… that Serenity was being a fool for doing so." Yugi was taken aback by this and Seto picked it up immediately. "You hated him too didn't you? Joey didn't… That's why I slipped when I turned to talk to him…" Seto finished lamely but honestly. Yugi took a deep breath before staring at the blue eyes again. Seto visibly flinched to his surprise but he continued with what he had to say.

"So… I guess the fact that he saved you changed your mind on all this?"

"No… it was the look in his eyes…" Yugi blinked in surprise belying the fact that he expected this answer. "When I fell he leapt off the building to come after me and I came to realise why I use to mock him. It wasn't that I hated him, looked down on him, or even pitied him. I was… afraid…"Seto sunk back against his chair as tears filled his eyes. He blinked them away inadvertently letting escape and slide down his cheek. "I was afraid of him… of what I could have become if Serenity hadn't saved Mokuba that day…" Yugi

"I saw it too when I had a conversation with him in the bathroom at school. Being an only child I can never hope to comprehend a loss like this…" Yugi replied looking down on the floor. "

"Funny thing is… I've seen that look before all of this even happened. Before she died. I just never understood what it was until recently and how much of a coward I really am…"

"Well… I suppose that's because Serenity and Joey were separated once before…" Seto raised his head in shock. "Their parents divorced about eight years ago and his mother took Serenity whilst Joey stayed with his dad. As you know neither of Joey's parents are very close to him so technically all he had to really care and be cared for was Serenity" Yugi shuffled his feet against the grey carpet of the CEO's office looking solemnly before he finished what he had to say. "Neither of them was able to see, talk or even write to each other. Hell Joey didn't know where his sister lived until he received a videotape from her last year just before Pegasus's Duellist Kingdom Tournament" he watched the CEO's reactions to the news and how he was able to take it. "Just one more question before I go… 'Seto'. Are you afraid of him now?" Yugi asked. Seto paused for a moment before he answered. Despite what he admitted for the first time it wasn't the complete explanation. He came to acknowledge what he feared the most but found it impossible to explain this one other emotion.

"A little…" he replied. Yugi smiled at his answer before he undid his backpack and pulled a few papers and placing them on Seto's desk.

"I've given a recommendation to put Joey back into your care and it just needs your signature to confirm it. As I said before I'm an only child so I can never understand what Joey's going through but I think 'you' can" Seto browsed through the few leafs and then at the dotted line below Yugi's signed one. He pushed the papers back.

"I don't want to hurt him anymore and if anything I'd think it would have been best if I stayed away from him altogether"

"He smiled for me today Seto… and like it or not I think it's because he was spending time with you and Mokuba lately. I do believe that you two will be the ones to make him smile some more… Just consider it for now…" Yugi said pushing the papers back in Seto's direction before walking out of the office.

-

Another two weeks had passed since the conversation and the first buds of flowers were starting to open for the coming of spring. The sun was shining dimly in the sky and the ground was still a little wet from melted snow. The lunch period and the students were crowded in the cafeteria so Seto took his break out in the sunshine under his new haunt under the cherry blossom tree. He smiled as spots of colour that seemed to signify the spark of life in the seemingly dead branches and sat down to work on his laptop. He sighed leaning back as he remembered the conversation he had had with Yugi two weeks ago before he pulled out the neatly folded papers from his pocket. It was still unsigned. He read through the papers for perhaps the fourth time that day before placed it back in his pocket. It was then he noticed something white caught in the corner of his eye peeking out from among the healthy green grass. He picked up the delicate bird and stared at the slender make of its wings and neck. He tugged it to life with a pull of the tail, the wings flapped vibrantly up and down spurring up the childish delight in his heart. It was then that he realised that perhaps the bird's maker was nearby and he peeked around the large trunk and saw a pile of the paper crane's brothers nestling comfortably by the blonde's side. Seto was only able to see the side of Joey's face and right hand fiddling nimbly with the square piece of paper despite the restrictive sling that held his arm in place. Seto turned from blonde's fingers to his face and noted the shaggy blonde tresses wildly draped down his cheeks whilst long lashes fluttered once in a while but other than that the blonde's attention was fully on the bird in his hands. Seto shook his head annoyed at himself before he went back to his side of the tree and tried to get back to work. However, having knowing that the blonde was now so close he lost interest in the boring document and his eyes wondered to the other side of the tree again. Pushing his computer off his lap he peered round to his right and frowned when there was no one there. Joey had gone. With a disappointed sigh he sat back down when he suddenly came to stare at soulful brown eyes. His breath hitched and he visibly jumped in his seat when the blonde appeared on his left gazing at him in a curious wonder. Joey's hair was tied back to a loose ponytail and many of the stray tresses fell over his cheeks. He cocked his head curiously looking more of a puppy dog than Seto had ever imagined before Joey leaned down and used the CEO's lap as a pillow and continuing making his paper cranes. He lips screwed into a pout as he concentrated on making the bird as neatly as possible. Seto blinked a few times stunned by the strange display but he never spoke. He leaned against the tree pulling out the papers from his pocket again and signed it.

-

Sam: Sorry again that it's so late but I hope you enjoy the chapter.


	8. Part 8

Origami Music 8

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. The references of lyrics to the song Hello belong to Evanescence.

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

---

"YOU WHAT?" Tristan screamed at the smaller teen who neither flinched nor retaliated. "YUGI, HOW COULD YOU?"

"I know you're angry about this, but I trust that the decision I made is right. He's changed Tristan, for the better… I really believe he'll help Joey."

"Don't you remember what that bastard said to Joey about his sister? What he did? Joey could have been killed because of him!"

"He's also the only one that has a shred of understanding of what Joey's really going through here, "Yugi argued. "Téa, you can back me on this, can't you? We can give Kaiba another chance, right?" Téa looked stunned as Yugi pulled her into the debate.

"I… I don't…" Téa looked away, afraid to meet the boy's eyes. "I don't know, Yugi…"

"I don't know what he said to you Yug', but it's all an act so he can ruin Joey's life some more before tossing him out in a gutter somewhere. "

"TRISTAN! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

"NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! SERENITY DIED BECAUSE OF THE KAIBAS AND YOU'RE HELPING THEM BY PUSHING JOEY TO GO THE SAME WAY SHE DID!" Tristan growled at the tri-coloured headed teen before he stormed down the hall.

"Tristan, where are you going?" Téa cried, hurrying after him.

"To get that recommendation form off that son-of-a-bitch!"

---

The cherry blossom tree had become their sanctuary; the one place where they could spend their time together without intrusion. Neither of them talked to each other and, sometimes they never even acknowledged each other upon their arrival. They would merely sit on either side of the tree going about their own business. Seto would be typed away on his laptop, his fingers flying gracefully across the keys whilst Joey fiddled with a sheet of plain, white paper and brought it flapping to life as an origami crane. Occasionally, they would just sit in silence watching as an odd pink petal or two fell from the branches and fluttered lightly to the ground. It was a secluded part of the school grounds that the students hardly went to, and even those that occasionally visited their sanctuary would not have noticed anything unusual between the two boys. Yet, both of them knew if either one of them should not be there, the other would feel out of place under that cherry blossom tree. Seto sighed as he finished with the document before him. He rubbed his temple and peeked round the large trunk. His eyes softened as he watched the blonde play with the flapping crane before setting it down on a huge pile but then he grew concerned when he saw the pained expression on the blonde's face.

"Joey?" He shuffled to the blonde's side of the tree and touched Joey's injured shoulder. "Is your shoulder hurting?" Seto grimaced as he the blonde flinched reflexively from the tenderness. "Come on, let's go to the infirmary." Joey nodded and the two silently stuffed the paper cranes into a plastic bag before shoving the bag into Joey's backpack. In silence, the two boys headed towards the nurse's office.

---

"Hmm…" Nurse Cunningham pondered as she gently squeezed Joey's right shoulder, making him flinch. "Oh dear… it does feel a bit swollen but nothing too serious that would need a doctor to look at. I'll write a note to your teacher saying that you won't be attending class so you can go home early. Let's have a look at your schedule. It's English with Miss Barker right?" Joey nodded. "Do you have the painkillers from the hospital?"

"Yeah… but they make me drowsy."

"That's all right; you can lie down here whilst I call your guardian to come pick you up." With that, she left the office to make the call and send the note. Joey awkwardly popped the small cap off the bottle and crunched at two pills before lying down. The CEO sat on an armchair watching him and within minutes, Joey's eyes became heavy. Joey stared up at the glacier blue eyes overshadowed by a fringe of rich, chocolate brown tresses whilst long fingers tenderly stroked the blonde locks splayed against the pillow. Seto watched him snuggle into the pillow and listened as Joey's breaths became slow and deep. A lock of overgrown, blonde fringe was draped over his cheek and tickling his nose. The brunette gently tucked the offending hair away from Joey's face and rested his chin on his forearms, listening to the soft snores and watching the rhythmic rising and falling of the blonde's chest. He gazed at the pale face and the heavy, long and dark eyelashes splayed against his cheeks. Kaiba frowned as he noticed the bags under Joey's eyes. Has he not been getting enough sleep lately?' he thought as he played with the silky, sun-kissed hair again. I'll need to check up on that when he comes back to the mansion.' Comforted by the thought of Joey coming home with him he did not dwell on the thought any longer as he himself dozed for a little while. No sooner had he nodded off when he was roughly shaken awake by a furious brunette. Tristan growled as he wrenched him from his seat, staring cautiously at Joey before yanking the other brunette outside and slamming him against the student lockers. Téa looked on worriedly.

"Tristan… don't…" But capitalize But' her words never reached Tristan's ears.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HIM, YOU BASTARD?"

"His shoulder was hurting so I brought him to the infirmary. He took his painkillers and fell asleep; that was all…"

"That was all, huh? You actually think I'm going to fall for that Good Samaritan bullshit? Everyone in this school knows that all you've ever done for Joey is make his life hell! " Seto felt a stab of guilt and winced inwardly. "I don't know how you managed to sweet talk Yugi into getting Joey back in your care, you son-of-a- bitch, but don't think me and Téa don't see what you're trying to do. I don't care how rich or how many of your pathetic lackeys you've got, I will kill you if you ever come near Joey again!" Tristan hissed. He narrowed his gaze as he saw the recommendation form sticking out of Seto's pocket and released his hold to snatch he paper. His eyes darkened as he looked at the two signatures on the bottom and, to Seto's horror, he tore the sheet apart. He watched as the stocky brunette ripped the form asunder like a rabid creature mauling the wings of a delicate white bird before the pieces fluttered to the floor in a pathetic heap. Tristan glared atthe CEO before storming back down the hall. Seto stared at the remnants of the recommendation form, a further testament of how fate viciously tormented him. For the first time, after months of blind jealously and hate, he had finally seen how precious the blonde really was to him, how much he needed that security and warmth. And, the second he realised that, fate had cruelly snatched it away from him. He tried to gather together the pieces of paper, the representation of his broken hope. The largest piece held his signature, mocking him for his naivety. He headed back into the infirmary where the sleeping blonde still lay.

"Are you still here Kaiba? Your class will start in five minutes," the nurse chided, returning from the main office. "I'm sure you can go see Joey at the Motou's house after school."

"What time is Motou going to pick him up?"

"Oh, in about half an hour. Why?"

"No reason…"

"Well I'm going off for my lunch break." Nurse Cunningham stared at the brunette pointedly. "I'll let you stay here but, you better go to your class when the bell rings Mr. Kaiba."

"Whatever," he replied coolly, sitting back on the armchair next to Joey's bedside whilst got out his laptop to work again. Nurse Cunningham sighed disapprovingly at the youth's tone but said no more as she gathered her purse and walked out of her office again. Seto leaned back against the armchair, staring briefly out the office window and watching pink flakes appear from behind the building ahead of him where the cherry blossom tree that he shared with Joey was before staring at the ripped pieces of paper in his hands. He glanced back at Joey and was surprised that the blonde was awake. Joey rubbed his eyes groggily with his left hand but found sleep starting to overcome him once more. He blinked a few times to stay awake. "Go back to sleep…" Seto whispered, brushing away the stray hairs that had gotten into the blonde's face again and tucking them behind his ear. Joey reached out towards the open briefcase, plucking out one of the origami birds that Seto had packed away and began playing with it. A slight tug of the tail jerked the bird to life. They watched the bird fly before their eyes; its curved, white wings fluttered, beating at the air, up and down, up and down whilst its elegant, long neck held the crane's head proud and high. There was a sense of peace and comfort in watching the paper crane fly, imagining it soaring in the sky with the sun reflecting off the brilliant white of its body. Slowly, the flaps became less frequent and finally came to rest against the soft pillow. Joey had fallen asleep again with the paper crane in his hand, and he sighed deeply, the crane lying on its side in the middle of his left palm. And, though it comforted Kaiba for a brief time, the dismal incident of the ripped up recommendation form came back to his mind tenfold.

"It's funny…" Seto was startled out of his reverie and found Téa staring at the sleeping blonde. "I remember a little girl back in grade school that used to make those on lunch breaks; it was always on a rainy day, though. All the kids loved watching her folding them up and sharing them out. They loved them so much that every Christmas, she'd be slipping them in as presents between the Christmas cards she gave out." She stopped, briefly glancing over at the young CEO for a moment, taking in the reaction to her story. "It must have taken her forever to make them all but, a few minutes after opening their cards, having made empty promises of keeping them for a long time, she'd find a lot of them in the trash can." Téa plucked a crane from the briefcase and pulled at the tail. She smiled sadly as it jerked to life. "I was really angry for her, wondering why she would still make them every year for everyone, just to have them throw them away. I asked her why bother. She said: "Well, everyone had fun while it lasted and even though they've thrown the cranes away I don't think they'll forget about them." I thought she was being silly at the time and yet, here I am now talking about it,"

"I guess it must be the same with Serenity…" Seto said, staring at the bird in Joey's hand and his eyes softened again. He didn't see the surprised look on the girl's face. "Yeah… I guess so…" she whispered gazing over at the CEO. He has changed, 'she thought as a rare smile crept across her face. Téa was afraid to trust anyone when it came to Joey nowadays and had constantly worried about the blonde, especially after what she had seen his mother do to him at the institute. Her heart had wrenched with anger and despair at Mrs. Wheeler's spite whilst the burden of responsibility over the blonde weighed heavily in her heart. Watching Kaiba now, for the first time since the accident, she felt she had some support and the burden lessened. Téa smiled as she searched through her bag for a small roll of sticky tape. She picked at the end and pulled it out. Seto stared at her in confusion and her smile widened. "Let's see if we can stick this recommendation form back together, huh Kaiba?"

---

/That was a month ago when Téa helped me piece the paper back together and Joey had woken up again shortly before Solomon Motou picked him up./ Seto paused briefly as the memories of that day returned and went back. /He had smiled at her… the first time I had seen it. Yugi had told me about his own talk with Joey; told me how he felt with such a simple gesture and yet, nothing he described ever matched what I saw that day. I saw it again on the first day he came back to the mansion and Mokuba greeted him/ Seto paused again and stretched. He turned to watch the blonde doing his homework on his bed, with paper cranes scattered all over his silky sheets. Kaiba couldn't remember when the blonde had started coming into his room to do his homework or make his paper cranes, but his presence seemed so natural, as if he had done this for many years. The restrictive sling had finally come off and the blonde was able to move more reely. His shoulder still ached sometimes but the doctors were pleased to announce that Joey had no need of the painkillers anymore. However, Seto noticed that the blonde didn't seem to be as enthusiastic as he'd hoped. Joey looked up from his homework and stared at the CEO like a deer trapped in car headlights. Kaiba found himself smiling again as the blonde cocked his head to the side, the silky, gold tresses swaying like the floppy ears of a golden retriever puppy. For the past month, Seto had found himself, and his employees, to be more animated towards their work. They had become faster and more efficient. The stocks had risen dramatically and the ideas suggested by his employees were always a success. It wasn't that he had raised anyone's salary or put up any other incentive to motivate his workers yet, with the number of successes they had had, projects were being completed way ahead of schedule and Seto wound up having nothing to do but go home early and sometimes, to Mokuba's delight, skipping it altogether to join his brother and the blonde on the walk home after school. Seto smiled at the thought of how, with each passing day, Mokuba became happier; the kids that he found out had been bullying his little brother were sorted out promptly and, only the extremely brave or foolhardy dared to throw their scathing remarks at the eleven year old. The brothers got to spend more time together and often, Joey would hang around in his room or go to Yugi's house so Mokuba and Seto could be alone; however, at school the two teens hung around each other every spare moment that they had in between classes and during lunch period. Their favourite roost was still under the cherry blossom tree, which was now in full bloom. With a smile at the memories of the month that had passed, Seto turned back to his computer to continue on the journal. /Suffice to say, Tristan was not pleased about the arrangement. He hardly speaks to the others these days and refuses to even look at me, let alone talk…until this one occasion. He'd asked me how Joey had been. Nothing much happened after that until the puppy spent a weekend at his house and since then, he has been less pissed off about the world. He still doesn't like me, but that doesn't matter./ Seto turned to meet the blonde's gaze and let another smile reach his lips. Often, Yugi and Téa would join the two boys under the cherry blossom tree, dragging a reluctant Tristan along with them. The stocky brunette would remain silent as the group chatted to each other about classes, duel monsters, and game systems (which Seto would inevitably make some snide remark about. In fact, if it weren't for a few classes that Joey and Seto didn't share, they were inseparable and many had assumed that the two were going out. /The only thing that really bothers me now this past month is… the fact that Joey never smiles when I'm around. I know he can do it. He's done it for the others, even Tristan… Does he feel uncomfortable around me? Does he think I'll fall off another building? I've noticed the bags under his eyes and he's finding difficulty concentrating at school. Is he not sleeping enough lately/ Every timeIthe brunnette came in, the smile on Joey's face would disappear so Seto often lingered in the doorway before making his presence known. /Strange, I used to loathe that huge grin he had on his face. But now… everyday, I find myself asking what can I do to make him smile? What will it take for him to smile for me/ Seto stared at the clock, which showed that it was past midnight. Normally he'd work for another few hours after writing in the electronic journal. Finally, having had enough with pouring his soul to his computer diary he saved and closed the file, planning to go to bed early tonight. "Joey I'm ha-" He stopped short, noticing that the blonde was already gone and he had even cleared away the mass of paper birds on his bed. Sighing, he changed into his silk navy blue pyjamas and slipped under the covers of the king sized bed. Unused to going to bed so early, he lay wide awake in the dark tossing and turning. He groaned as the fairly chilly night made it even harder for sleep to come. Sliding out of bed again, he decided to check on his little brother and silently crept down the empty hallway. Kaiba smiled as the raven headed kid was fast asleep, his long ebony hair sprawled against the white pillow. Thinking that he wasn't going to be able to sleep for another couple of hours, Seto went to the room next door. The door groaned as he cracked it opened slightly. He hadn't realised how heavy the rain was falling outside, the flashes of lightning were quickly followed by a clash of thunder. The sudden burst of light illuminated the guestroom enough for Seto to see that the blonde wasn't there; the bed was empty and the sheets were still made. Panic struck him as he searched the connected bathroom' it was also empty. "Joey?" When the lightning flashed again, he caught sight of the figure outside. "Oh God…" he whispered as he raced down the stairs. Another flash of lightning illuminated Joey's soaked, golden hair. The blonde was staring up at the sky as the rain pounded against his face; his long lashes were lined with water. "WHEELER!" Seto yelled over the storm. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? GET BACK INSIDE!" He only vaguely heard the words from the blonde.

"... don't believe… soon I know I'll wake from this dream… don't try to fix me… I'm not broken… I'm the lie living for you so you can hide… don't cry… don't cry…" He repeated the words over and over again "don't… cry…" Hearing enough, Kaiba ran out into the rain towards the younger boy, his hair instantly drenched by the deluge of water, and grabbed the blonde.

"Snap out of it, damn it!" Seto shouted but then faltered, flinching at the empty gaze in the blonde's amber eyes, the sickly skin that was starting to wrinkle from the excessive water and the more defined bags under his eyes. Any trace of the warmth that the brunette craved seemed to have vanished in the coldness of the rain. Kaiba backed away slowly as the blonde carried on singing the strange and eerie song.

"Suddenly… I know I'm not sleeping… hello, I'm still here… all that's left of yesterday…"

"Stop it," Seto hissed as a continuous trickle of water ran down his face. His breath was short as if he had just run a hundred miles. "Just stop it, stop it, STOP IT!"

"Stop what?" Joey replied casually. "Stop feeling this emptiness? You know that that's not possible. " He cocked an eyebrow inquisitively yet, the gesture disturbed Seto because of the emotionless appearance of Joey's eyes. "Mind telling me what's been troubling you lately?"

"Nothing…" Seto replied irritably. He glared at the blonde but somehow, that failed and he resorted to simply looking away. "Except for the fact that we're standing out in the middle of a thunderstorm, completely soaked. Now will you please get back inside?"

"You're still afraid of me," Joey whispered as he took a step towards him, and the brunette inadvertently stepped back.

"No I'm not…" Seto replied. "I just hate the fact that you don't smile as much anymore." The blonde looked intrigued, cocking his headto one side as the water dripped from his flaxen tresses. "I use to hate the way you smiled but I hate it more when I don't see it. I hate it when you're like this… Why won't you smile?"

"What would be the point of me smiling if you don't look?" Joey replied as he stepped forward while Seto stepped back again, keeping the distance between them as another flash of lightning lit up the dark skies. "If you're scared…"

"I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!" Seto roared against the clash of thunder that echoed all around them whilst tears rolled down from his cobalt eyes. To Joey's surprise he walked towards him, closing the gap between them. Seto cupped the blonde's face with both of his hands and stared straight into the blank eyes whilst allowing the other to see the fear in his own cobalt eyes. "I'm scared of losing you… of losing that warmth you had when you wrapped your arms around me when we fell." Seto pressed his cheek against the soaked, golden tresses. "Don't leave me here… please…" he whispered, holding the blonde as tightly as he could, rain mixing with the salty tears that ran down his eyes. Slowly, almost mechanically, the blonde wrapped his arms around the brunette and Seto felt the warmth return to his arms. He smiled as he held the other teen tightly, then lead him back into the mansion and out of the rain.

"Big brother?" Seto wrenched his gaze away from the blonde by his side down to his brother. The younger Kaiba's hair was mussed up from sleep and he was still in his Blue Eyes White Dragon pyjamas, but hesmiled as he held up two large and warm fluffy towels. The two teens headed towards the bathroom and changed out of the wet clothes that they wore. Seto rubbed away the moisture from his hair and body and immediately slipped into another set of pyjamas before rubbing at the thick gold locks on Joey's head. He smiled at him but received a blank face in return. Disheartened that his talk in the rain had been in vain, he pushed aside the stinging ache in his heart. After being completely dried, Joey slipped under the covers and stared wide-eyed in front of him.

"Get some rest Joey," Seto said, tenderly tucking the stray hair in Joey's face behind his ear and closing the door.

"Will he be all right Seto?" the younger of the two Kaiba brothers asked worriedly.

"I don't know, Mokie…" Seto answered honestly as he directed the raven headed boy back to his own bed and tucked him in. When Mokuba was settled Seto left for his room, now thoroughly tired. He lingered a moment longer outside Mokuba's room, staring at the door next to it before heading back to his bedroom. Despite how tired he was Seto found he still couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned in the bed whilst the storm outside started to diminish, the rain eventually reduced to a light patter upon the wet tarmac. Seto glanced at the clock on his bedside noting the time at 2.15 in the morning. He had been tossing about for over an hour. Frustrated, he got up again and left his room. He stopped at the two doors where Mokuba and Joey slept and decided that he would go into Joey's room first this time. Without the aid of the lightning, he couldn't see as well anymore. Squinting a little into thedark, he could see that Joey was still lying on the bed but something about the lack of movement troubled the brunette and he went in for a closer inspection. He stared hard trying to make out the details in the dark and blinking in surprise he found that Joey's eyes were still wide open. Kaiba turned on the light on Joey's bed, confirming his suspicions. Joey was still awake. "Why aren't you asleep yet? It's two thirty in the morning" Seto said, sitting on the edge of the bed. The blonde didn't answer but continued to stare at space in the corner. The bags in his eyes aged him and the beautiful, amber eyes were spoiled. Seto blinked when he remembered the times that he had watched the blonde sleep. It was right after taking the painkillers; they made Joey drowsy, and he knew that some components of the drugs suppressed dreams. "Joey, have you been having nightmares?" Joey didn't answer but shifted slightly in the bed, his eyes still wide open. "Is that why… you like coming into mine and Mokuba's rooms?"

"I know you don't like me doing that… so I stopped…" Suddenly Seto's throat clenched as he remembered that one night the blonde had come into his room seeking comfort and he had turned him away. Unsure of what else to do, Kaiba slipped under the covers and gazed at the ochre eyes that held a hint of fear. Seto eased closer, taking note of how tense the golden-headed boy was.

"I'm sorry… I was… being selfish back then. I want you to know that you're welcome to come into my room whenever you feel scared. Now, go to sleep." The other's breath hitched at the statement and Joey shook his head fearfully against the pillow. "It'll be ok…" Seto assured him. "I'll be right here when you wake up…" He watched the other Joey hesitate before he shuffled closer to the brunette, allowing the warmth from Seto's body lull him into slumber. He was fast sleep the instant he closed his eyes whilst the brunette watched over him. Seto sighed as he turned off the light on Joey's bedside and wrapped an arm around the blonde before he, too, closed his eyes.

---

TBC


	9. Part 9

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 9/10

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Beta: Jennie B whom I've come to revere as my Beta Goddess…

Pairing(s): Joey/Mokuba (but not in 'that' way) Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Nor the lyrics 'Hello', 'Everybody's Fool' and 'Imaginary'

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

---

The slow and gentle light of a new dawn crept through the closed curtains and roused him from his sleep. Shifting slightly beneath the covers, Kaiba groaned, and was mentally running through the business schedule for the day when he realised that he was not sleeping in his own bed. A whimper brought his attention to the warm, but tense, body next to him. Blond bangs were spread out across the large pillow whilst the sheets that covered the two teens were gripped tightly in Joey's fist, His face was creased into an expression of tormented sadness; the circles under the blond's eyes looking ever darker. Another whimper escaped the blond's lips as his hold on the sheets tightened even more. After being around an impassive Joey for nearly a year, it was a shock to see the intensity of hurt the blond showed when unconscious. 'Is this what happens every night?' Seto thought, reaching over and drawing the blond to him, in the hope that it would provide some comfort from the torturous dream. Shifting to a more comfortable position, he ran his long fingers between the silk tresses, willing the nightmare plaguing Joey's dreams to disappear. He closed his eyes and listened as the short and anxious breaths gradually, became long and slow, and the younger teen started to relax. A few moments more of stroking the golden mane, and Joey's face became peaceful; the circles under his eyes lightened, and the tight grip upon the sheets loosened, much to the Kaiba's relief. Seto pulled the covers up a bit more and returned to stroking Joey's hair, brushing away the flaxen fringe from Joey's forehead and tucking it behind his ear. A surreal peace ran through the brunet. The creak of the bedroom door brought him out of his thoughts and a familiar mop of jet black hair peeped into the bedroom.

"Oh," Mokuba whispered, first in surprise, and then concern. "I didn't know you were in here too, Seto. How is he?" The elder Kaiba sighed when the memories of last night flooded into his mind. It was obvious that Mokuba would be worried; after all, he had spent so much time with the blond that it probably seemed to him as if he had gained another brother.

"He'll be all right," Kaiba replied reassuringly, glancing down at the still figure to check. "What time is it?"

"Five in the morning," Seto smiled and raised an incredulous eyebrow at how deep his younger sibling's concern for the blond must be to wake up at such an early hour. "What? I needed to go to the bathroom… so I thought I'd check on Joey while was at it," Mokuba answered in his defence, a hint of annoyance in the tone of his voice. With an indignant shrug he left the room, much to Seto's amusement. When the room was silent again, Kaiba closed his eyes again, listening to Joey's now slow breaths that were tickling the bit of exposed skin that was not covered by his silk pyjamas. Kaiba shifted slightly, pulling Joey closer in order to stave off the numbness in his arm when the weight upon his chest had lightened. He opened his eyes to stare into the deep and doleful brown ones of the other; the blond's gaze seemed almost childlike whilst the hand that had been gripping the sheets had moved to clench the silk pyjama top.

"Did I wake you?" The question was answered with silence. Joey turned his gaze upon the thin beam of sunlight that had slipped through the small gap in the curtain. "It's only five in the morning; we've got a couple more hours to sleep before we need to get up for school." At the word sleep, Joey tensed again, his grip on the brunet's silk shirt, tightening between his fingers. Seto placed a hand over the fist, squeezing it reassuringly. "Mind telling me what your nightmare is about?" Joey didn't answer and, frustrated as the brunet was with the lack of communication since last night, he tried to not let it show. "I told you I'd be right here when you woke up," he said, and to his relief, Joey's body relaxed again and the doe-like eyes reluctantly closed. Seto sighed, basking in the comforting peace. The two hours passed by in what felt like mere minutes, and Seto woke to a shake from his younger brother. Given the fact that the younger Kaiba was already dressed and ready for school, the two teens were going to have to wake up to now if they didn't want to be late for school. He sighed in resignation as he glanced at the blond resting on his chest, and cursed the hours of sleep that Joey obviously needed for being so short. The dark circles under Joey's eyes had lightened considerably, indicating that the two hours since they had last woke had passed blissfully, and Seto was reluctant to wake the boy up again.

"You know, I could phone up Téa and ask her and the guys to pick up any homework assignments you two have. She always carries her cell phone to school. After all, you both were out in the rain last night, and people catch a death of a cold from that." Mokuba shuffled his feet as a crooked, devious smile appeared on his lips. Kaiba chuckled once he had gotten over his initial displeasure at the idea of skipping school. Looking back on the circumstances of last night, the idea did seem rather appealing.

"I'll tell the maid to bring you two breakfast, and I'll be on my way, ok?" The elder Kaiba blinked in alarm that his brother was would be travelling to school alone. "Don't worry about me; I'm sure I can survive 15 minutes alone in a limousine. Oh, and expect me to be a little late home; I'll be off with my friends to the arcade and the mall."

"When did I approve of that?" Seto exclaimed indignantly.

"Just now, as a favour to me for helping you skive school. I don't do acts of altruism for free you know." Mokuba giggled as he jogged out of the room, stopping short at the doorway, his attitude suddenly becoming serious. "Take care of Joey today, Seto. He's done a lot to help make us feel better about ourselves. Now it's time for us to do the same and let him catch up." Mokuba smiled happily; the heavy burden of guilt had lifted to be no more than a distant smudge in his memories. The silence seemed almost strange when Mokuba had left for school and the blond continued sleeping on. Seto settled back into the pillows, gazing upon the golden locks splayed against the soft contours of the beautiful face against his chest. A soft groan came from the other's lips as Joey slowly woke up, eyes bleary with sleep. Kaiba chuckled at the dazed blond looking around the room as though he didn't recognise it, and he made a move to get out of bed. The young CEO was met with a weak whinge of protest when he pulled the blond to lie back down, but Seto knew that Joey had already fallen asleep again before his head had even hit the pillow.

"You really are exhausted," he whispered, snuggling into the pillow next to the younger boy and brushing his wayward hair from his face, smiling when a soft sigh escaped the blond's lips. The silken, golden tresses were now catching the gleam of the sunlight, highlighting the soft contours of his face. A soft knock brought the young CEO out of his thoughts.

"Master Kaiba, your breakfast?" the maid asked, her large silver tray laden with toast, bacon, egg, and other assortments of food that Seto was not used to eating in the morning. He glanced at the sleeping figure beside him, and decided that he'd prefer it if they ate together.

"Bring it later," he replied.

"Yes sir, oh and there's a phone call from Dr. Gibson."

"Dr. Gibson?" Seto exclaimed in surprise upon hearing that it was the psychiatrist who had treated Joey nearly a year ago. He took the phone, vaguely able to remember the mellow tone of the doctor's voice. Mokuba had had calls from the man a few times a month to give him reports on Joey's progress.

"Hello, Mr. Kaiba. I received a message from Mokuba saying that he'd be absent for our appointment to discuss Joey's progress, but apparently, you wanted to fill in for him. I'll come to your mansion at five, alright?" Seto raised an eyebrow, curious about the timing of the appointment with respect to Joey's breakdown last night.

"Um… sure… I'll make sure Joey is ready by then. See you later." Hanging up, he retrieved his laptop and started working, waiting for Joey to fully wake up.

---

He looked up from the blueprints of the latest Kaiba Corp project to see the blond shuffling in to the study in a blue, oversized shirt and long, black trousers that trailed, along the floor, threatening to trip him up. Seto looked confused when he recognised the clothes to be his own. He wondered if he should ask Joey why he was wearing them, but decided to not to. After all, the blonde looked quite adorable in his clothes. His long hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and the remnants of his old bangs were hanging by his cheeks like the floppy ears of a golden retriever.

"What is it?" Joey didn't answer, but tugged the brunet off his seat. Joey led him to the front door, pointing outside. The blond then went towards the window, staring out into the distance, his face pressed against the glass before he turned to Seto again. "You can't really go out like that you know. Why don't you get changed before we leave?" Seto said as he looked the blond up and down. Joey blinked, and then started shuffling towards the stairs, somehow avoiding tripping on the long pieces of fabric that trailed along the floor. "We have to get back here by five for the appointment with Dr. Gibson though, Joey."

Seto contemplated be putting a leash on the blond as he hurried after him. The walk had probably taken a good hour or so before Joey had finally stopped and Seto managed to get his bearings. He stared at the iron gates and black steel lettering of the St Martin's Cemetery. "I see, that's why you were in such a hurry." They eventually reached the respective grave for the first time in nearly a year. Joey stared at the beautiful, yet cold, marble tombstone, and then he knelt down and stroked the coloured picture, which was the centrepiece of the stone structure. Joey's mouth quirked into an awkward smile as he ran a hand against the picture of his sister. Her bright red hair framed a sweet smile that was forever fixed in stone, and Joey took it in a deep but cumbersome, embrace. Seto felt a twinge inside of him, a deep tenderness for the young girl who had given her life for Mokuba, and then the familiar shame for the resentment he had cast upon her brother during the first few months he came to the Kaiba mansion. He left Joey alone in search of a nearby flower stand, and to contemplate on his own how much he really hurt the blond. The past year had been a history of ups and downs for Joey and the Kaiba brothers, and Seto came to realise that in the course of these events, the puppy had become more important to him than he could imagine. To earn a good a life for his brother had been a mission, an obligation to set the best possible path in life so Mokuba would be able to manage on his own. Seto knew that Mokuba would leave when he was ready, although had never thought of what he'd do after that time came. But, since Joey had become fully involved in their lives, he had had dreams. Dreams of what he, Seto Kaiba, wanted to do with his life, and for once, he was content. However, content turned to apprehension when he returned to the blond's side.

"Joseph? What are you doing here?" Annie Wheeler stared bewildered at her son, a large bouquet of lilies in her arms. The blond turned to meet his mother's gaze, Serenity's tombstone cold and dead against his back. A light summer breeze played with wisps of the blond's silken tresses, and his doe-like amber eyes were staring at his mother's guilty ones. Without a word, Joey got up and walked away before Annie found her voice. "Jo-" she began, realising that he had already left. She looked towards the blue-eyed teen that had been with him to console her. "Is he… is he angry at me?"

"No," Seto replied. "And don't try to compare your own bitterness to what he's been through just so you can make yourself feel better for what you said to him last summer." The older woman sighed, brushing away a stray strand of her frizzy hair, laying her bouquet of flowers next to where Kaiba had placed his, and kneeling before the gravestone.

"I know I haven't been a good mother. I've spent every day regretting what I failed to do the day before. I guess… I guess I was hoping-" Tears formed and fell down her face. "I wasn't sure why, but after the visit last summer, I looked at our old photo albums from before the divorce. I never realised how beautiful their smiles were but… I don't remember them smiling like that since. All I could think about was how much I hated their father. I never thought of Joey happily welcoming me home, only the eggs I accidentally dropped when he went to hug me. I never thought of Serenity screaming in the back seat for her brother, just the fact that I was getting away… I never… I never thought of them- either of them, just of myself." Seto wasn't sure whether he should leave or comfort the woman who was now shaking with silent sobs.

"There are some things that can never go back to what they once were; he may not be angry with you but you can't expect him forget it all then welcome you with open arms as if it never happened." He knew the words stung, but it was one of the truths he knew all too well. He had just never disclosed it as advice to anyone before. "The best thing you could do is-"

"Keep looking forward, or in my case, start looking forward," Annie interrupted. "I've been told that before, surprisingly from my ex-husband."

"Just because you can't go back to the way it was it doesn't mean you can't make a new start with him," Seto said, knowing all-too-well of his own, similar situation. It appeared that the thought had sunk in for the woman before him. Annie took a deep breath, wiping the last of her tears from her face. Whether she had slipped on a mask to hide her deep guilt or she had been comforted by the advice, Seto wasn't sure. However, it seemed that, at least for now Annie had a purpose.

---

Joey was standing by the gates of the cemetery when Seto found him. The brunet smiled and took the younger boy by the hand.

"Are you alright?" The blond's large brown eyes turned to stare into his own. Seto smiled when the blond acknowledged the question with a nod. The younger teen tugged him by the arm, and they walked past the park and the school, finally stopping outside one of the many apartment complexes. Seto had never come to such a place, but he knew almost instinctively what Joey had been intending. They climbed up the narrow flights of stairs, passed a few doors in the narrow hallway, and faced the front door of Joey's old apartment. Seto could tell that the place had been cleaned out, but there was still a lingering smell of alcohol permeating the newly painted walls. The shorter of the two teens reached for the handle, hand shaking slightly. The door had been left unlocked, and he easily pushed it open. The emptiness inside was intensified by the weak groan of the door hinges. Seto recoiled slightly from the stronger smell of alcohol in the small apartment, but like the rest of the building, it seemed to only linger like a distant memory. A snort drew their attention to the figure resting on the nearby couch. Joey strode forward and knelt by his father's side, listening to the older man's feverish breaths. It was the first time that Seto had seen Mr. Wheeler, and although there had been some similarities between father and son, he could immediately see the elder's face was harsher and worn out. His arms were bulky- twice the size of Joey's, and there was an evident beer belly bulging out from under his shirt. Seto wasn't sure what to make of the man except from what Mokuba had told him. The man was having trouble with alcoholism, and as far as the boy knew, he had been trying to get help for it whilst entrusting his son's care to a rich billionaire 11-year-old. Although the young CEO himself never visited Joey much when the boy went to the institute, he had noticed that the elder man had never seemed to come at all. However, despite the supposed neglect, his heart warmed at the tenderness on Joey's face when he shuffled to a small airing cupboard to pull out a large blanket and lay it over the large man. The elder man's laboured breathing suddenly turned into a fitful cough as he was brought out of his feverish sleep.

"Joey?" he croaked, staring bleary eyed at his son. He coughed once more as Joey got up and headed towards the small shower room, coming back with a wet towel to place on his father's burning forehead. Adrian Wheeler tried to prop himself up into a seated position only to be pushed back down by the younger blond. Although Joey didn't say anything, his father understood his son's concern and stayed where he was. It was only when Joey left once more, this time heading towards the kitchen, that the man realised Kaiba was standing there. "You're the elder one, huh?" Adrian croaked, drawing up the blanket towards his chest. Kaiba shifted slightly to get better look at the man, recognising the warm, doe-like eyes that Joey had inherited, the exception being Adrian's aged weariness compared to his son's fresh, youthful glow. "You'll have to excuse my condition; I wasn't expecting anyone to be coming here. Have a seat." Seto accepted, and sat on the armchair next to the couch Adrian was lying on. "How's your brother?"

"He's fine..." Seto replied curtly, wondering what Joey was doing in the kitchen. However, the older blond was looking to start a conversation.

"That's good… we didn't exactly meet on good terms the first time. I promised I'd pay for the glass in his arms and… I'm sorry…" Adrian muttered, the guilt apparent in his voice. Seto merely glared at him. The brunet had often wondered how Mokuba had gotten hurt that day, but no matter how much he had pestered the boy, Mokuba had always avoided the subject, even going so far as to silence the limo driver as well. Perhaps he had merely wanted to protect the man, but now that Seto realised who was the cause of the boy's injuries, he had immediately formed a dislike of the man.

"I heard from him that you are dealing with an alcohol problem…"

"Yeah…. Have been for years… Haven't had a drop of beer, whiskey, or anything else for six months and running. I never want to go back to that… not since that time Joey wound up in hospital."

"Hospital?"

"Hmm… during the first few months of high school, I had had a hell of a hangover when they called. Said that that Hirutani kid and his gang had beaten him up. Five boys had tied him to a hook at a warehouse and electrocuted him with those phaser guns… caused second degree burns on his ribs when they'd rammed those things at him." Seto sat back in alarm. He had never heard of the blond ever going through something like that. He could only vaguely remember that the boy had been absent for a few weeks, but had never thought much about it. "He was going through all that… while I was here… going through one can of beer after another…." Adrian made a snorting noise, somewhere between laughing and crying. "I thought I was getting better; I went to my meetings, I was gonna get myself a better job. I thought I'd be able to take some responsibility at last… then… just as I thought things were getting better… Serenity… my sweet, sweet… little girl."

"You never went to see him when he went to the institute?"

"Oh, I did go to see him, nearly every day. I just didn't want him to see me." Adrian shook his head as he recalled what state he was in at the time. "Not like that… But it turns out that I ended up showing him anyway when he got back home."

"I was wondering why you never came to claim him when Mokuba took him away."

"I did panic when I was sober and realised what had happened; the drops of blood were more than enough. I called your brother… he was a bit apprehensive. I couldn't blame him… I promised him I'd try again as long as he took care of Joey for me… He hasn't been too much trouble, has he?" Seto bit his lip, wondering if he should inform the man of his own misgivings about his son.

"To be honest, we've had quite a few… major misunderstandings… this past year… mostly on my part," Seto said, not daring to elaborate. Adrian merely gave him a lopsided grin, reminiscent of the trademark smile that Joey used to have.

"No one really understands how special he is until they get to know him- him and Serenity both," the man explained proudly just as his son came in with a tray. A warm and rich smell wafted across the room as Joey laid the tray in his arms on the coffee table in front of the couch; a large bowl of vegetable soup and couple of slices of bread were neatly laid out in the tray in front of him. The elder Wheeler sighed contently, raising an incredulous eyebrow at the boy. "C'mere and let me take a look at you," he whispered, brushing away the gold, silken hair from Joey's face. His eyes immediately saddened when Joey stared back at him. Cupping Joey's face with both hands, he stared at him intently. "Don't forget her," he whispered. Joey remained speechless and merely acknowledged his father's words with a nod of his head before turning and pushing the bowl of soup closer to the man. It was at that time that Seto interrupted.

"It's four o'clock. We'll need to head back home to meet up with Dr. Gibson. Joey." Joey gripped the leather couch tightly, his only sign that he wanted to stay.

"I'll be fine son… go on back," Adrian urged, slowly spooning the warm soup to his lips. Joey shook his head and was met with a stern look from his father. Seto took the moment of hesitation as an opportunity to lead the blond away. Joey had been reluctant as he had glanced back at his father, who only responded with a smile.

---

"Welcome, Dr. Gibson. Master Kaiba and Mr. Wheeler are waiting for you in the study," the maid said before leading the psychiatrist to them. Seto was busy typing a paper on his next project whilst Joey sat on a couch next to him, working on another paper creation.

"Dr. Gibson, have a seat," Seto greeted, shutting down his computer immediately.

"There's no need for the formalities, Seto. This is a casual meeting. Call me Gil," Gibson replied warmly. The blond shuffled to his side and pressed a crane into the psychiatrist's hand. "Oh, thank you," Gil said happily, playing with the origami and watching it flap with delight. He glanced over at the blond who had gone back to his corner, as if oblivious to his presence once more. "How is Joey doing? Last I was told by your brother, there had been some tension between you and his friends."

"There was; most of the issues have been resolved and those that haven't are being… met halfway," Seto explained, thinking back to the delicate truce he had with Tristan.

"Good to hear, good to hear. Is there something wrong?" Seto looked startled as the man peered up at him, his glasses tilted down the bridge of his nose, the concern obvious in his eyes. The brunet wasn't sure if the man was exceptionally good at reading people, or if spending time with Joey over the past year had made him go soft. Nevertheless, he told the man about the previous night.

"Joey has had trouble sleeping. He seems afraid to, and also…" Seto paused, wondering if he should address that point. He looked at Joey, who seemed too preoccupied with his origami to pay attention. "Last night, he went out in the rain and was mumbling about something."

"What did he mumble about?"

"I can't really remember; something about waking from a dream, living a lie, and telling himself or someone not to cry." Seto blinked while the psychiatrist pondered his words.

"Hmm… sounds like the lyrics to a song to me," Gibson mused. "If I close my eyes and don't believe, soon I'll wake up from this dream." Joey, for the first time since Gibson had arrived, looked up from his paper crane, his eyes filled with wonder. "Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide…. Don't cry,"

"Don't cry," the blond echoed. Dr. Gibson smiled at Seto's wide-eyed reaction to Joey's response; it was the first time he had talked that day.

"My daughter listens to their album so much that even I know the words. Music is, after all, a way of expressing your feelings through art. So, I think you can find quite a few answers if you listen to it. The paper cranes as well; they represent quite a few things in the oriental culture; a show of love, hope, an unfulfilled wish," the doctor explained to Seto before he turned to the blond opposite him, Joey's attention now fully on him. "So what is it you wish for, Joey?" The blond blinked, stroking the delicate wings of the paper bird. He didn't answer the question, but Gibson wasn't one to pry too deeply. "That's ok, you don't have to tell me. But, I know Seto can help you in whatever it is." Gibson looked at his watch and stretched. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes, but if possible, Joey, could I spend that time alone with Seto, please?" Joey shuffled away, gathering his cranes in his arms and heading towards the dining room.

"So, you really believe that the music he listens to will help clue me in to what upset him that night?" Seto asked incredulously, glancing at the huge pile of CD's near his stereo. They all belonged to Joey, for Seto only ever listened to the radio for traffic conditions and news reports. Music wise, he preferred classical music, Tschaikovski and the like to relieve stress. He had never really bothered with the popular music of today. Thinking about it, he pondered the irony of it, given the fact that he was the most technologically advanced as a computer and games developer, yet he remained quite old fashioned as far as his musical interests were concerned.

"As I said, music is the art of expressing feelings," Gibson explained, picking up one CD and passing it to the young CEO. "You just need to listen. Track nine." Seto pursed his lips as he looked at the cover of the CD, noting the gothic lettering of the band name, and the black and white shading on the lead singer's face, silhouetted against a blue background. He recognised that it was one of Joey's favourite CD's, but he was still sceptical about the psychiatrist's theory. He blinked at the title of track nine, 'Hello', and wondered what it was about. Nonetheless, he slipped the disc into the stereo, skipping ahead to track nine, and listening to it intently. It was a slow, sad song that began with a delicate and simple piano intro. Seto suddenly imagined himself, standing in the middle of a crowded street, people passing by him as they went about their daily lives, whilst for him, time had stopped, and all the sadness and fear was swallowed up by emptiness.

Playground school bell rings… again. Rain clouds come to play… again.

Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Hello… I'm your mind, giving you someone to talk to… Hello

Seto gasped, as he recognised first the singer, and then the words that seemed to tell Joey's story through his eyes.

If I smile and don't… believe

Soon I'll know I'll wake… from this dream

Don't try to fix me I'm not broken

Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide… Don't cry

"Don't cry," Seto repeated as he listened to the instrumental bridge before he reached the final verse.

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping. Hello? I'm still here… All that's left of yesterday…

"What does this song make you feel?" Gibson asked, sitting back against his seat, his fingers knitting together when Seto paused the disc. All of a sudden, Seto felt that Joey had become an open book to him. It suddenly all made sense.

"Like time stopped, and there is nothing but emptiness. Grief, fear, anger and chaos are swallowed up. That's what this song conveys, this song that… must have been going through his head that day. The day of the accident…" Seto went back to the lyrics sheet and pushed the buttons again to listen to a new song. He didn't recognize any of the other tracks until he heard the heavy guitar riff at the beginning of the song, and then the stabbing words of the singer,

Never was and never will be

You don't know how you've betrayed me

And somehow you've got everybody fooled

"This one… conviction and bitterness." Seto listened on.

Without the mask where will you hide?

Can't find yourself lost in your lie?

I know the truth now  
I know who you are

And I don't love you anymore

"Self loathing," Seto concluded sitting back and almost reeling from the information the song gave. Joey had been listening to it just before their first dinner sitting together, and he remembered all too clearly how that had ended. He visibly shuddered as the memory played back in his mind, the scornful remarks he had said, and now that he understood, he realised in hindsight, that his words were an extra rub of salt in an already deep and painful wound. Flicking away from the song, he skipped ahead some more as the ghostly voice carried on, revealing the various emotions that he had formerly been ignorant of. Seto closed his eyes, silently cursing himself for not having noticed before.

Don't say I'm out of touch

Of this rampant chaos, your reality

I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge

The nightmare I built my own world to escape

In my field of paper flowers

And candy clouds of lullaby

I lie inside myself for hours

And watch my purple sky fly over me

"He was withdrawing inside himself… to stop it hurting."

"Looks like you've got a lot of information on how Joey's been feeling lately, then?" Gibson mused picking up his coat.

"Thank you for the advice," Seto whispered, suddenly feeling very tired. The psychiatrist answered with a small smile.

"You're welcome." After running through all the other songs, he sighed heavily. He had heard enough and was ready to retch from what the songs implied, either through words or mood. He headed towards the dining room where Joey was waiting for him. The blonde sat alone, staring out through the window just as the setting sun was bathing the world in an orange and red glow, and the dark shadows emphasised the deep, soulful brown eyes staring out into the distance. He felt like he had wandered into a dream. Blinking, the younger teen turned his eyes to the depressed brunet.

"I'm sorry," Seto said suddenly, putting every ounce of emotion he possessed into the two words. "For everything that I've said to you in the past… I never realised how deeply I had- I'm sorry." Seto gasped when the blond gently brushed away the tears from his face. Without warning, the brunet pulled him into an embrace, whispering his apologies over and over, feeling the weight of his guilt lightening as he said them. They pulled back when the maid came in to announce that dinner was ready. Kaiba nodded in acknowledgement, and the two boys sat down just when she came back in and laid out the plates. She gave them a small smile before leaving them to sit in an embarrassed silence. The meal seemed uneventful after Seto's revelation, however, despite the silence, the brunet's mind was reeling with emotion. Finally, the blond spoke.

"I…" It was as if his words had died, and his voice could not form a sound.

"What is it?" Seto whispered, desperately wanting to hear the boy's beautiful tenor.

Joey stuttered. "I've wanted, since the accident, to talk to you… to tell you everything… how I feel." Warm, brown eyes met with cool midnight blue, almost as if Seto had opened a small window for him to escape the confining darkness that he had put himself in. "I never thought badly of you"

"Why?"

"Because I knew… you would understand… It didn't matter to me if you hated me. I didn't want love, comfort or pity. I wanted to talk to someone who was capable of seeing me for who I am. Who understands me," Joey explained. "I'm tired… I'm too tired of hiding it like I used to. So, that's why… I never thought badly of you, and I never will." All of a sudden, all of the turmoil seemed to be pacified by the soft tenor voice.

"After dinner, do you want to show me how you're feeling right now?"

Joey looked somewhat taken aback, his beautiful, amber eyes expressing emotion that was so rarely seen these days. Seto shifted awkwardly when the blond cocked his head and stared at him as though he was a particularly puzzling enigma that needed to be solved. Kaiba knew, instantly, that the blond hadn't expected to be offered his help. All that Joey had expected was for someone to at least see him for who he was. He had been thrown into a dark world, a hideous reality that he couldn't escape from, and he had not deserved to be there in the first place. Yet, despite all this, he had searched continuously for the light to bring him back, and he was still floundering for his lifeline. This wasn't just something that had come about over one year. It had been going on for almost all of his life, stemming from a young age when he was forced to grow up and abandon his childhood. As a child, he would fear for the impending loneliness that would surface in his later life, desperately trying to save himself from it, all the while trying to please his parents, friends, gods and deities, searching for the warmth and safety that was denied him. Serenity had been his only source of that warmth, yet their time together had not been long enough, and those who tormented him had violently torn them apart for their own selfish means. Seto could understand this, but unlike Joey, he had been offered a lifeline, and from the looks of things, Joey had never expected the favour to be returned. "I want to know… I want to help you…" Seto added, a little unsure of his capability to console someone. The other boy looked away as though ashamed, and he shook in his seat as unshed tears began to appear in the corner of his eyes. He looked up, and the two corners of his mouth perked upwards in a smile that spoke of something beyond gratitude. For the first time in a long time, Joey had finally found his lifeline, and Seto vowed to himself that he wasn't about to fail him.

TBC


	10. Part 10

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: 10/10

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Pairing(s): Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Nor the lyrics 'My Immortal' and 'Someday'

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

_Since the talk, things with Joey have progressed so quickly. The final exams are nearly over and we are to graduate this year. Everyone is talking about what they plan to do with their lives afterwards. Gardner is off to New York for her dance recital. Apparently she's got an audition and things are really looking up for her. Yugi has already been offered a placement in Domino University whilst Tristan is going to be offered an on-the-job training to be a mechanic. Mokuba is doing well in his studies, I of course, continue to work in my company and as for Joey…_~ Seto paused his typing as he realised that he didn't know what Joey was planning to do after he graduated. He looked over towards the blond who was at the moment fast asleep on his bed. After the talk with Dr Gibson, Seto had come to understand the blond even more as the weeks went by and now it was second nature that the two should know what each other were thinking. Joey's hair, which had grown past his shoulders lay sprawled against the silk pillows, the rest of the bed was littered with paper cranes. Turning back to read his entry, Seto wondered if he should ask the younger boy about his future or to be more precise if 'he' would be a part of that future. Once again, Joey's hair had strayed across his face and Seto brushed it from his eyes pulling away when the blond stirred and opened his rich and soulful amber eyes. The younger man sat up rubbing his bleary eyes of sleep and smiled at the CEO and instantly, Seto's heart melted.

Joey had opened up a lot more since he left the institute nearly a year ago and Seto admitted that the younger boy looked happier than before. He knew now from hindsight that Joey back then had never been truly cheerful, even before Serenity's death, the smiles and laughs merely covered it the same way Seto would appear cold and resolute. There had still been the stinging words of his own jealousy that Seto could never forget despite how much he wanted to. Everyone had just fallen off an emotional cliff; each of them hanging onto a ledge of their own and Joey was there, helping them climb up despite the fact that he himself had fallen down the furthest. The young CEO sat beside Joey as he gathered the cranes on his bed and placing them in a huge black bin bag.

"Are you ready?" Seto asked. Joey answered with nod hugging the cranes in his arms as they got up carrying the huge bags towards the limousine. Mokuba, Yugi, Téa and Tristan stood outside waiting all of them getting into the limousine. The drive had been short but as soon as Seto got out, he breathed the fresh sea air and staring out towards a beautiful sunset. The sky was painted in a mix of pink and orange whilst the calm waters reflected the brightness of the setting sun. He watched as the group of friends laughed and played in the sand whilst they set the fire going. Slowly, everything decided to settle down and everyone had fallen silent listening to the sigh of the ocean and the crackling of the wood in the fire before making their way towards the cliff above the beach. Tristan held a picture of Serenity, a white ribbon decorating the ebony frame, and stood the picture upon a rock overlooking the sea. A metal biscuit tin was placed before the picture and Jou fished out a handful of paper cranes from one of the black bin bags laying them inside the empty tin. A match was lit and the white wings of the cranes started to curl into black whilst the smoke filled the air. Seto glanced at the blond by his side staring transfixed at the fire. Soulful eyes seemed unfocused, as if he had entered into a dream and the brunet wondered if burning the cranes that Joey had worked on for so long was wise. Joey however, seemed insistent on it.

"She told me that if you watched a flock of a thousand white cranes take flight, they would take your troubles and sadness away with them. I never knew what was troubling her at the time. I guess I'll never know," he had said finishing the last crane and sighed in satisfaction stroking the wings. "This will be my gift to her, just to say that she doesn't have to worry or be sad anymore."

Slowly everyone began to dig into the black bags and fed the paper cranes to the steadily burning flame. For a while there was silence as they stared out at the sea and a beautiful sunset that contrasted with the shadowy silhouette of the watchtower. Seto knelt beside Joey as they watched the flames eat away at the paper.

"Joey, are you sure about this?" Téa asked staring at the delicate pieces of paper in her hand. A flicker of emotion flashed in the blond's amber eyes but he nodded with a smile as Téa added the cranes to the small fire. Ashes fluttered away from the small bonfire and danced with the cooling air of the sea chasing each other before they were carried out towards the setting sun. The flock of beautiful white and elegant cranes had turned black and took flight, never to return. The sun had disappeared in the horizon and the only light that remained was the lighthouse on the beach and a small lamp set aside next to the burnt ashes of Joey's paper cranes.

"Joe? Are you alright," Tristan asked.

"It's getting late, I think we should go home," the blond replied as he walked away the fire towards the limo. The others stood silent as a nightly breeze reminded them of the onset of a cold night ahead.

"It is getting late I guess," Téa said. "Take care of him, will you Kaiba?" Seto nodded as the group emptied the ashes and headed home.

The journey seemed quiet and uneventful. Mokuba was fast asleep, Seto's coat wrapped warmly around him whilst the two elder boys stared out their windows watching the neon lights of the city flashing on and off as they waited patiently to get back to the mansion. The sound of horns barking from impatient drivers and the everyday crowds of people milling about the trying to get to where they wanted to go made the trip to the Joey's beach seem all that much more surreal that Kaiba had realised. The pungent aroma of the fire, the way the flames danced and the black and grey ashes flying away gave a sense of a huge weight lifting from everyone's shoulders when they left.

"It's been a year now since that day, hasn't it?" The suddenness of the statement took Kaiba by surprise and brought him out of his thoughts. He looked over towards the blond and noticed the deep sadness in the other's auburn eyes whilst a glistening trail of tears ran down his cheeks. Joey swiped away the offending tears away. '_Don't cry' _Seto could almost hear the haunting lyrics that must be going on in Joey's mind. It was a punishing thought and Seto knew he had to change things.

"It's ok to cry Joey," Seto whispered wrapping his arms around the blond's waist, stroking the long blond tresses. Hearing the words from the brunet's was all Joey needed as he let the tears fall. He buried his face into the brunet's chest and cried his heart out. It a while before the sobbing had subsided and another had hour had passed before Seto realised that the blond had fallen asleep in his arms. He smiled sadly as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief to wipe away the wet streak on Joey's cheeks. They had just arrived at the mansion and Seto carried the younger of his sleeping companions to his room and put him to bed. When he went back to Joey, the blond was already awake, out of the car staring at the stars. "Are you alright?"

"I thi- no…. I know I will be." Joey answered. They stood together in comfortable silence at the clear night sky.

"You know I was wondering about something" Seto began, finally mustering the courage to ask the question that would satisfy his curiosity. "You never told us what your plans were after graduation."

"Really?" it had out more of a statement rather than a question and the blond made no further explanation of his own future. It seemed Joey had no preparations for after graduation but had not wanted to worry his friends and thus kept quiet. With a flutter of hope in his heart, Seto stepped forward with his own little proposal.

"If you haven't really decided there is a job for a beta tester at the company and we do have plenty of living space… here" Seto trailed off, attempting to ward off the slight blush coming to his cheeks. "What I'm saying is that… I would be the happiest man if we stay together. I-" Before he could finish the final words, he felt Joey's arm wrap around him, his head against the brunet's shoulder. Seto was caught off guard by the sudden embrace but slipped his arms easily around the other's waist.

"Thank you," Joey whispered into his neck. Seto felt himself relax and revel in the warmth of the other boy's body against his. He buried his face into the other's golden hair. For that moment, Seto felt his life seemed perfect.

It was going to be a glorious day for the graduates of Domino High school and Seto, being the student with the highest marks in the entire school, naturally was called up to make his honour student speech. He looked at the crowd gathered around and seeking out the one person that really mattered to him among them. Joey was watching from the back of the large assembly a hall, a small smile on his face. His hair was cut short, very reminiscent to what it was before the incident a year ago. The speech came and went and Seto wasn't sure what he had said except that the graduates and teachers clapped and cheered when he had finished and he found himself shaking hands with the principal. Quickly, after a few quick words of praise from the older man, Seto refocused to the back of the room only to notice the empty space where Joey had been. Thinking that perhaps the younger male had stepped out to the bathroom but after meeting up with Yugi and the others confused faces, Seto suddenly felt quite unsettled. He returned home quickly looking along the streets in the hope that perhaps the blond had decided he wanted to walk home but he did not see a sign of him and it was only when he returned home to the mansion and noticed the small paper on top of the blond's stereo, Track 12.

He put the song on and listened to the soft rising and cascading scales of a piano. The first line of the lyrics to the piece struck him hard and he fell to his knees uttering a sob.

_I'm so tired of being here. _

Seto didn't want to listen anymore but he carried on hearing the piece.

_These wounds won't seem to heal; this pain is just too real.  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

It was at that point that the brunet switched off the stereo and allowed the words to sink in. A guttural roar suddenly emitted from inside him as he lashed out, grabbing the stereo tearing it away its stand and launched it across the room.

"Seto?" a small voice whispered to him at the doorway. The young billionaire looked up into the worried grey eyes of his younger sibling. "You loved him didn't you?"

"So what if I did? It made no difference," Mokuba swallowed and knelt beside his brother hoping that he could comfort the brunet.

"Shouldn't we look for him?"

"To do what? Drag him back and tie him down with a leash?" Seto muttered bitterly as a tear rolled down his face. "It was no wonder why he kept quiet about what he was planning afterwards; he just didn't want me to know where he was when he left. He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"I don't know about that big brother." Mokuba replied revealing a brown package. "This came in the post." Seto looked to find it was addressed to him. Tearing it open he noticed another piece of paper dropped along with the blond's signature paper cranes. He stared in confusion at the new CD. It was a different band this time and more importantly, it only had one song on it. He righted the stereo partially relieved that it was not broken and replaced the CD. The song was a stark contrast to the heavy gothic tones of what Joey usually listened to. The gravelly voice of the male singer and the melodic playing of the lead guitar brought a sense of hope to the brunet. It was when the song reached the chorus that the message struck Seto.

_Someday, somehow gonna make it all right but not right now. _

_I know you're wondering when. _

He reached for the single piece of paper and felt his breath hitched. He quickly wiped away any tears as he read the message.

Can you wait for me?


	11. Epilogue

Title: Origami Music

Chapter: Epilogue

Author: Madyamisam

Rating: PG-13

Pairing(s): Joey/Seto

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Madyamisam doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Nor the lyrics of 'Far Away'

Summary: Two families, two children, two siblings, two friends… funny how an accident could make everything change…

TTTTTTT

_Good morning Domino, this is your radio host Andy Dune coming in with your usual fix of 30 minute non-stop music mayhem and we're gonna get this ball rolling here with one hell of a special request. No name to it but a nice little message. "To Seto, the wait is over at the Southside Domino Galleria" Here's looking to you Seto, go get 'em tiger. _

He trembled inside as he listened to the song he had listened to many times since that fateful day. The strum of an acoustic guitar and the single loud beat of a drum leading to the first verse of the familiar gravelly voice of the lead singer foretelling a lyrical tale of longing and hope in his first verse.

_This time; this place_

_Misused, mistakes,_

_Too long, too late _

_Who was I to make you wait?_

The words reflected his feelings for the person he was about to meet. Tapping the volume up a bit more on his IPod, the young man of twenty-one now stared ahead looking at the building that contained what he hoped to see. As he entered, he barely glanced at the various works of art hanging on the walls, opting to stride purposefully to the main exhibit ahead. It was a glorious sight, hanging high from the tall ceiling, an image of a young red headed girl no older than 14 looking out towards a setting sun on the beach. The most intriguing aspect of the piece was the art materials used to make it was not paint, pencil or even pastel chalk. It was a collage of beautifully folded paper, each of them shaped into a masterpiece artwork in themselves. Origami shaped paper birds, tiny boats, flowers, all hung in a formation to form the giant portrait. But even though he recognised the giant image, it was the not what he wanted to see. He looked around the area and panic struck as the person he was most hoping to meet was not there. Almost falling to despair, he clung to the comforting and hopeful words conveyed in the song in his ears.

_Just one chance, just one breath_

_Just in case there's just one left_

_'Cause you know, you know, you know….._

He gasped when the song was cut short; the headphones ripped away from his ears and he heard nothing but silence.

"Hello Joey," a deep velvet voice resonated in the near empty hall. His breath hitched as Joey slowly turned around to see deep ocean blue eyes. The same russet hair still styled in the same way he remembered three years ago. Seto was here and the blonde needed to take this chance. The music that gave Joey so much comfort whispered on its tune in his mind guiding him on what he knew he must say.

_That I love you, I have loved you all along_

_And I miss you, been far away for far too long_

_I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go_

_Stop breathing if I don't see you… anymore. _

"Seto I…" The words fell silent from his lips and a terror gripped him. What if was just coincidence that he was here? The fear that Seto had in fact moved on suddenly played in his mind and he could almost feel the descent of falling back to the dark place that he was banished to all those years ago.

_So far away, so far away, been far away for far too long_

_So far away, so far away, been far away for far too long_

Then the brunet drew closer and pulled him in towards his chest. Joey felt a large hand tilt his head up and the taller man pressed his lips against his. The violent descent into despair stopped and everything around them disappeared.

_I wanted… I wanted you to stay_

_'Cause I needed, I need to hear you say..._

"I love you," were the first words that came from Seto's lips after their first kiss then delve in for another and wrapping his arms tightly around the blond. Joey held on returning the kiss with as much fervour. "Don't leave me again please?"

_And I forgive you_

_For being away for far too long_

The music in his head played out nearing its end and the last vestiges of doubt vanished from Joey's mind with last chorus of the song reflecting the moment he shared with Seto.

_So keep breathing _

_'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore_

_Believe it_

"I won't" Joey agreed. "I love you too." The two held each as they listened to the last few lines of the song repeating themselves until the finished. Joey looked over to the art piece admiring his work and the sweet smiling face that was Serenity. "Sweet dreams, little sister" he said then he turned his attention onto his lover whilst the mouthing to him the final line of the song that imprinted his deepest wish. A wish that Joey knew Seto would definitely fulfil.

_Hold on to me never let go…_

TTTTTT

Afterword: Oh my God, I finished it. I finally finished it. I don't know why but this epilogue has really, really screwed me up. Seriously, I'm having heart palpitations, night sweats. I can't think straight anymore….. or it could be the fact that I'm writing this at 3:30am in the morning so maybe yeah, I'm just sleep deprived. But anyway, yes this is the end of Origami Music and to anyone who actually wants a sequel to this. NO! It took me freaking years to get this done and my psychological well-being can't hack it. When I wrote Origami Music the songs that I integrated in the story are listened to constantly until the chapter is done so I can keep my mind focused on the character's feelings. Imagine having to listen to such a traumatic song like 'Hello' on a loop just so I can put my mind in the right frame set. That aside, I hoped to anyone that is reading that they enjoyed the story, it was a lot of fun to write and I hope I don't traumatise any of you. If you like my work, I'll still be updating on my other stories, just check out my profile if you want to know what they are and thank you again. Peace.

Madyamisam


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